Ab Imo Pectore: From The Bottom Of My Heart
by Caffin9
Summary: House is suffering from depression after his failed relationships and finds comfort in the most unlikly sourse. WARNING Slash Dont like, dont read suicide, depressed, mentioned H/Stacy H/Cuddy H/Cameron and eventurally H/Chase COMPLETE
1. Dreaming

_Ab Imo Pectore_

_From The Bottom Of My Heart_

**Chapter One: Dreaming**

The both famous and infamous medical diagnostics genius, Dr. Gregory House, was sitting alone in his home. He sat at the piano smiling softly to himself. In his hand was a small glass of whisky. He usually drunk more then this but he was in a good mood that night. In fact he had been in a good mood every night and day sense his boss, Dr. Lisa Cuddy had offered him 10 hours off clinic duty for a date. Of course, he had agreed. And though he didn't love Cuddy at the time, he was 98% sure (he was never 100% about anything and so far he hadn't considered going above 98%) that he was now, though he hadn't told her yet.

But tonight was the night. He was going to tell Cuddy he loved her. He had already told her so many things about himself, and vice versa. He had told her about how he felt when Stacy left him (though he hadn't said much about how he felt about his disability) and she had told him about how much she wanted a child. He was going to tell her tonight that, though he didn't want children personally, he was willing to have a child with her. He was going to tell her he loved her, and he wasn't going to let his nerves get the best of him, which explains the whisky.

But, with still and hour and half to go, the apartment was incredibly quiet and House found himself slipping into sleep. He stood and lay down on the sofa, choosing to take an extra vicodin and lie on his bad leg rather then lie on his good leg and face the wall that was the back of the couch. He was slightly…very…claustrophobic and it would do his nerves no good if he woke up with his face pressed into the suffocating darkness of his own sofa. He slipped slowly into a slightly alcohol and vicodin induced sleep.

"I'm dreaming."

Those were the first words uttered by Dr. Gregory House when he opened his eyes and discovered he was standing on the roof of the hospital. He was leaning on the red brick wall, gazing out over the city in the darkness, a city of sleepless nights and dark days.

"Yes, you are." A voice beside him answered simply. House was not surprised at the presence next to him, though he hadn't noticed anyone standing next to him before now. He looked at her and sighed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her. She turned to him, dark hair, which wasn't quite black but not quite brown either, blowing across her face in the invisible wind. Her hazel eyes shone out from the shadows of her emotionless face.

"I'm always here." She grinned, a Cheshire cat smile which didn't belong.

"Why don't you ever leave Stacy?" He turned to her, almost begging. But he was Doctor Greg House! He never begged, not even in his subconscious.

"Because I'm a part of you, Greg." She continued to smile.

"Don't call me that." He told her "Don't call me Greg. Only Lisa calls me Greg now. No one else. You are nothing to me."

"How can I be nothing to you when I am part of you, silly?" She continued to smile, eyes and teeth glowing unnaturally in the darkness. Her grin grew, abnormally large as she came closer, hand outstretched as though to touch him.

"_No!" _he cried silently _"Don't touch me! This is wrong!"_

"Oh Greg" She grinned "I'll always be here for you." Her cold hand made contact with his cheek and he shouted at the burning pain that attacked him.

Gregory House sat up wide awake in his small apartment in New Jersey. He was breathing heavily and there were beads of sweat running down his forehead. He touched his warm, wet cheek and was surprised at the red liquid that came off on his fingers. He glanced at his hand; there was a long cut there and looking at his reflection in the television screen, a deep but small, unharmful cut on his cheek. There was a broken whiskey glass on the table and House sighed as e cleaned it up and reminded himself never to sleep beside glass objects (as he had learnt in the past), trying not to remember the dream.

His mobile phone suddenly went off as he had just finished dressing for his date. The song "Dancing Queen" by ABBA rang thought he living area as he answered.

"Hello?" He asked, unlike his usual cheery "Yello!" or "What do you want, Wilson?"

"Hey," Wilson replied "Just calling to let you know you're going to be late."

"What if I had already left?" House replied, doing up his tie, the silver one Lisa had given him

"Then you wouldn't have answered, would you?" Wilson laughed before becoming concerned "Are you okay? You sound…different…strange and not in a good way…"

"I'm fine." House replied "Just rushing. I'll see you tomorrow, right?" He said, hanging up before receiving an answer.

He glanced quickly at his watch. It was half past 7. Wilson was right. He was going to be late.

**Will be continued**

**Hope you liked? Please review ^^ Any requests?**


	2. Breaking

_Ab Imo Pectore_

_From The Bottom Of My Heart_

**Chapter Two: Breaking**

Doctor Gregory House made his was from his bike to the small cafe'. He and Lisa were regular customers here. He enjoyed being known as Lisa's boyfriend, not an arrogant bastard. It really wasn't his fault that he behaved that way; he was simply unable to face his own emotions. He just couldn't do it. His father's voice rang in his mind as he walked.

"Are you sad, Gregory?" He shouted "Are you sad? Men don't get sad. Are you a man or are you a god damn shit? Are you?"

He shook his father's voice from him like a ghost might push away the memories of his life. He limped towards the Cafe' de Roux. He was a few miles, perhaps 5 miles from Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital.

He smiled softly to himself; something he didn't do often, as he entered the restaurant and saw Lisa sitting at their usual table. He hobbled slowly over to her, eyes lighting up as he saw her laugh at something the waiter, her friend, said to her. A flash of jealousy shot through him, but he ignored it. Jealousy was useless, over -rated. The only thing jealousy did was cause arguments which either led to brake-ups or great make-up sex: neither of which he intended on doing. Regardless of his love –he smiled as the word filled his mind with warmth – he was still to insecure to have sex with Lisa. Before her – after Stacy – he would sleep with hookers and prostitutes, but he would pay them extra not to look at him. Or, more precisely, not to look at his injury, his scar. The only remains of all those years he spent with Stacy.

"Hey." He said softly, surprising Lisa when he put his hand on her bare shoulder. She wore an emerald green t-shirt with low sleeves that showed a lot of the creamy skin of her shoulders. He shuddered at the colour- he hated green – but said nothing. Her hair was lose and she wore subtle make up as well as lose black trousers and black sandals without a jacket in the warm weather. The waiter looked up in shock as House nodded his greeting. His eyes looked around quickly for the nearest exit and he excused himself back to the kitchens with one last pointed look at Lisa.

"_Strange_..." He thought

"Hi." She greeted. He kissed her softly and she pecked him in return.

"How are you?" He said, feeling slightly uneasy as though he had missed something.

"Fine thank you, and you?" she answers professionally.

"I'm good." He answered casually, though his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the puzzle before him. She was acting differently, too professionally for his liking. She hadn't acted this way since just after their first date. She didn't answer him, which he added to his list. He watched her carefully throughout the meal. She said very little, as did he. His earlier plans were forgotten. He watched her discreet cough every five minutes. This told him that she was awkward. He watched how he she didn't look at him once during the meal, and how when she though he wasn't watching she would glance quickly up and away from him, as though about to tell him something, but chickening out before she did. He noticed her sighs. He noticed her small smile when a waiter – not the waiter that she had been conversing with earlier – brought them their food but the answer struck him when he saw how her eyes lit up and a huge grin lit up her beautiful face when the waiter she had been talking to earlier came to take away their half eaten plates.

"Ah." He sighed mournfully when the waiter had left. "So that's how it is."

"What?" She answered; surprised with the sudden discussion as though he had been the one to not talk rather than her.

"You're in love." He announced and the shocked look in her gaze as she looked quickly away confirmed his suspicions "but not...not with me."

"I'm so sorry Greg." She said and he shuddered with her use of his first name.

"With him?" He gestured to the waiter.

She nodded, her eyes filling with tears of happiness at her new found love.

"We met three weeks ago." She told him. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear this but he let her continue "He's willing to give me what I want. Whatever I want."

"And I wasn't?" He asked, not angrily, just apathetically.

"He's willing to give me a child." She told him, an angry sharpness to her voice.

"Ah..." House sighed again "You thought that because I wouldn't sleep with you I didn't want children with you." Lisa remained silent.

"Okay then." He said, standing. The waiter over the other side of the room watched as he stood, stopping what he was doing to watch them. House shot an apathetic look in his direction before turning to the woman sitting in front of him who wasn't in the least disappointed or even upset by this. "I'll be leaving then. I'll see you in work tomorrow, Cuddy."

His return to using her last name did not go missed by her and she understood that she was no longer meant to use his name. He turned and limped his way out of the door, glancing back briefly to see the unnamed waiter sitting down in his previous seat. He almost laughed at the irony of the scene. Almost.

He didn't return to his bike. He didn't go home. He didn't call Wilson, though he felt he should. Instead he walked the 5 miles to the hospital. The length of the walk was unnoticed by him, but not by the pain in his injured leg. He walked through the glass door and wondered why everything in the hospital was made of glass. He walked up the stairs to his office as he didn't want to wait for the elevator, regardless of the excruciating throbbing. He walked into the diagnosing room and closed the blinds across the front before closing the blinds covering the locked door of his office. He dropped his cane and fell to the floor in unbelievable pain. He tried to open his vicodin bottle but his shaking hands wouldn't let him and eventually the bottle tipped and small white pills tipped everywhere. He couldn't see through the pain enough to pick any of them up so he just crawled to the small black sofa at the back of his room and pulled himself onto it. It took him two hours but eventually he fell asleep in the dark room that was only brightened by the light from the street lamp that poured through the diagnosing room, through the glass wall into his own office; the one place where he had forgotten to close the blinds.

**To be continued**

**Just so my readers knew there's going to be a few chapters...I think about 6 before Chase and House even begin to get involved, so please keep reading and feel free to review *hint hint* lol :D**


	3. Asleep

Ab Imo Pectore From the bottom of my heartChapter Three: Asleep

"Hey" Doctor and hospital administrator Lisa Cuddy said as she walked into the diagnostic office of Dr Gregory House to find his three ducklings sitting together – alone.

"Hey" The blonde Australian, the black, bald man and the pretty, brunette female replied in unison.

"Has anyone seen House?" she asked.

"No" Chase snorted pointing at the clock "Its only half past nine. A little late for him, sure, but it isn't that unusual."

"Has something happened with you two?" Said the ever-alert Cameron, ears pricking up to the sound of Cuddy using House's last name rather then "Greg" like she had been using since they had began dating.

"Yes, we broke up, No, he didn't break up with me, I broke up with him, no I do not want to talk about it and no I am not upset about it." Cuddy said in one breath, rolling her eyes "and you guys get to work. You have a case." She dropped the 4 blue files in front of Chase who was sitting closest to her and walked away.

Cameron glanced at Chase who shrugged dismissively. Cameron could not pretend she wasn't in the slightest excited about this news; she had had her eyes on House since before him and Cuddy had started dating and to know that he was free again was a very good thing to know.

Forman rolled his eyes as he saw the excited look in Cameron's silver orbs.

"10 year old female, lesion on the back of her neck and a fever." He read aloud "she has no infections, no medical history, nothing."

"It could be syphilis." Chase said

"She's ten years old, she's not having sex." Cameron said, frowning at Chase.

"She could be." Chase insisted, "You never know."

"Syphilis would explain the fever," Foreman said, holding up his hands defensively when Cameron turned to glare at him "But not the lesion."

"Maybe its not a lesion" Chase defended "it could just be a rash. As House would say, it's diagnostically boring."

"She is ten!" Cameron told Chase "She isn't a thirteen your old drug taking rebel, she's a happy, childish, ten year old girl."

"What about her parents?" Chase continued.

"Her Mum works in a local pet shop 10am until 2pm,just in time to pick her daughter up from the local school. The father is an engineer and works 9 until 5." Forman read

"What if the father's abusing her?" Chase said "She could have got an STD from that."

"We'll do an STD test and we'll check out the father." Cameron said standing, as did Forman.

"Wait." Chase stopped them "Shouldn't we call House before we do anything?"

"I suppose we should." Cameron said, glancing at the clock, which read half past ten "He's usually in by now, he is two and a hours late."

"I'll call him," Cameron said, picking up the office phone and calling his apartment. There was no answer.

"He must be on his way" Cameron frowned.

"Well, it's only a ten minute drive from his apartment to here so we'll wait." Chase said.

When there was still no sign of House ten minutes later, Cameron called his apartment again. And again. Finally, she called his mobile.

"They're coming to take me away, HaHa, They're coming to take me away HoHo HeeHee HaHa,To the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time. And I'll be glad to see those nice young me in their clean white coats and they're coming to take me away HaHa! To the happy home with trees and flowers and chirping birds and basket weavers who sit and smile and twiddle their thumbs and toes and they're coming to take me away!"

House's ring tone, chosen specifically for them, rang loudly through the office. The three ducklings looked at each other in confusion before Chase stood and led the way into House's office, following the source of the strange, crazy song.

"What the hell?" Forman gasped as Cameron froze and Chase ran as quickly as he could to the small black sofa in the corner of the room. The room was messy and disorganised. Objects had fallen from the desk to the floor; a mug that had shattered into a million china white pieces, a pot full of pens that now littered the dark blue carpet and the TV remote. Also, covering the carpet a little distance away was an empty orange pill bottle and a dozen small white pills covering the floor. House's can lay randomly by the door to the diagnostics office they had just ran from and Chase wondered how he hadn't seen it there before. House's mobile lay on the floor with "One missed call" flashing across the screen and on the small black sofa where Chase was now knelt lay doctor Gregory House's unconscious form.

"Cameron, Foreman!" Chase shouted, "Go get help! Now!" He shouted when neither moved. They ran out into the corridor shouting for a medical team and a stretcher. Chase remained by House's side. He checked his plus; it wasn't strong, but it wasn't particularly weak either. He checked his other vitals; his eyes, which were bloodshot and red, were responsive, but still House did not wake up.

"Come on House." Chase muttered quietly and he pulled him off the sofa and onto the floor where he proceeded to pull him into recovery position "We need you here."

The nurses ran in with a stretcher and Chase managed to pick House up and put him on it without the need for it to be lowered, thinking it would just waste time. Wilson ran in quickly to see what all the fuss was about and went pale when he saw what was going on.

"What happened?" He asked Chase, but Chase was too busy to say anything. Foreman ran to unlock House's office door. House was wheeled away into the elevator and Cameron, Foreman and Wilson ran to get the next one. Chase ran down the stairs and arrived there before the elevator did. He followed the medical team into the examining room but he was told he had to leave for the exam to begin. Cameron, Wilson and Foreman were told the same thing. As Chase paced back and forth past the glass wall to the examination room, Cuddy walked up to him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She shouted "And them as well" Pointing at Cameron, Foreman and Wilson who were standing there watching the proceedings of the room. "You three have a case and I'm sure you have some cancer patients to get too!" She pointed at Wilson who backed away. Chase glared at her furiously as she turned to him "And where the hell is House."

"He's there!" Chase yelled at her and she looked into the room where you could just see House's unconscious form on the bed, surrounded by doctors.

"House!" She gasped rushing foreword to be thrown out by the examiners.

"No friends are allowed in her at the moment Miss Cuddy" the young man told her "Not even if you are the administrator."

"But I'm his girlfriend!" Cuddy insisted and Chase felt a flash of anger pass through him and he walked foreword quickly, ignoring Foreman's hands trying to stop him.

"No she fucking isn't." He told the man firmly "and you!" He said to Cuddy "Right now I don't care if you're my boss. You have no right to be in there. None. At. All." He turned away from her shocked face and continued to stare into the room. However, apparently having enough of the interruptions, the examiners closed the blinds and Chase walked away, down the corridor and around the corner, into the bathroom where he sank to the floor and buried his face in his hands, before crying. This was where Wilson found him ten minutes later and this, in the long run, was where Dr Robert Chase realised his true feelings for his boss, Gregory House.

**I know this chapter was kinda' pointless, but I hate those stories and fanfics and films where they don't actually show you what happens during the time the main character is unconscious (like the episode where House got shot, it doesn't actually show what happens after he gets shot the second time.) it annoys me so I thought Id be detailed. And so you people know, this fanfic isn't going to be all depressive, its just in that stage for a moment.**


	4. Waking

Ab Imo Pectore From the bottom of my heart

**Chapter Four: Waking.**

Medical genius Gregory House slowly became aware. He opened his sapphire eyes slowly and glanced around the white room. He was alone, except for one small person sitting in the chair beside him, head in hands, completely unaware of his consciousness.

"What happened?" House asked. His voice was fine, slightly horse, but he could tell that he hadn't been asleep for too long. Normally he wouldn't other asking, but he couldn't remember anything past leaving the café. Lisa broke up with him. She wanted a kid and thought he wouldn't be willing to have one. His chest became tight at the memory and he concentrated on the reaction of the person in the chair beside him.

"House!" Cameron gasped, seeing his blue eyes gazing at her. She jumped up and hugged him, shocking House into silence and he forgot to breathe for a moment.

"What happened?" He asked again, more firmly and Cameron sat down again, smiling.

"You passed out." She said "We found you at half past ten this morning unconscious in your office. We thought you had OD'd; there were pills all over the floor as well as broken objects. But the doctor told us that you had been through a great deal of stress and because there was only vague traces of Vicodin in your system, we assumed that doubled with the pain, the stress had knocked you out, and basically given your brain a chance to re-boot itself."

"What time is it?" He asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Its 6:30Pm." Cameron told him "You've only been out for a day, not even twelve hours as far as we can gather. People saw you entering the hospital at 9 o clock yesterday."

"Right," He frowned "Okay. And what have you been doing this entire day?"

"I've been with you the whole time." Cameron said quickly – too quickly, House thought briefly but dismissed his thoughts.

"I meant what about the case." He said to hide his embarrassment and awkwardness at what she had said.

"How did you know we had a case?" Cameron frowned

"Cuddy broke up with me yesterday which means that she would automatically assume that I'll need something to keep my mind of my broken heart" House said sarcastically "So I'm right to assume she would give me a case."

"Yes." Cameron said "10 year old female, lesion on the back of her neck and a fever. No infections were found and no medical history."

"Syphilis." House said immediately.

"That's what Chase said" Cameron said and House felt proud. His little duckling was learning to look past the people and look at the symptoms, how sweet! Already he was accusing a ten year old of having sex. "I didn't think that a 10 year old would be having sex but Chase suggested abuse."

"See, now that's the difference between you two." House said smartly "That is why Chase gets a gold star and you don't. Chase is willing to say anything where as you're too scared."

"I am not—" Cameron began to defend herself but House cut across her.

"Did you do the test?" He asked

"No." Cameron said, "We decided we should ask you first and then we found you unconscious so we waited."

"Some kid might be dyeing so you waited?" House almost shouted

"no." Cameron said quickly "Chase said you wouldn't want us to wait so he—"

"I went to get permission from the parents to do an STD testing." Chase said walking into the room with Wilson.

"Cameron, you shouldn't be pestering him about his case, he's not been awake for long." Wilson said disapprovingly.

"He made me!" Cameron insisted and House smirked at Wilson, shrugging.

"So, the parents said no?" House asked Chase who, for some reason was glaring furiously at Cameron.

"Exactly." Chase replied, still glaring at Cameron who was pointedly looking away. "The parents are a bunch of Cameron's. They refused to believe that a ten year old was having sex and I didn't mention abuse to them."

"Okay then." House said, secretly admiring the insult Chase had thrown to his lone female chick. He glanced around the room quickly and saw his cane in the corner of the room, by the door.

"_Perfect_." He thought.

"Right then" He said aloud "Much as bed rest in enjoyable, I have work to do." He pushed himself up out of the bed. Cameron and Wilson both stopped him.

"get your hands off me." He said to them "I'm twice your age" He said to Cameron "And you're defiantly not gay." He told Wilson who went bright red and backed away. Chase stifled his laughter behind his hand as House limped over to his cane and left the room. The three doctors followed him.

"So." House said, "Why wasn't foreman at my bedside?"

"Because once he found out you were okay and we weren't going to be doing any work, he left." Chase told him.

"So why are you still here." House said as the nurses stared.

"Because I wanted to be." Chase said

"So what have you been doing all day apart from accusing ten your olds of having sex" House asked.

"Nothing." Chase said "I've been sitting in the room with you."

"Hmm…" House paused looking searchingly at Chase who blushed and looked away "Interesting."

"What is?" Chase asked as he continued to walk, leaving Cameron adn Wilson to follow, still looking confused.

"Nothing." House said, pausing outside his office to pick up a blue file that was on his desk where he had guessed it would be. "Nothing at all." He turned and walked past Cameron and Wilson who looked at each other in puzzled irritation and walked into the elevator.

"Bye!" She said cheerily and pressed the button to go down before any of the doctors could stop him. By the time the second elevator had arrived and they had gotten to the second floor where Wilson guessed House would be, House was walking into the patents room.

"Hi there." He said. The parents jumped up and looked in surprise at the man who wore hospital clothing, had a cane and a blue file with their daughters name on it. The mother was blond with brown streaks in her short, tied back hair and the father had brown hair and crown eyes, which his daughter had inherited. House walked straight up to the father and said plainly "Have you been having sex with your daughter?"

"What?" James Knight replied gazing in horror at the doctor, as was his wife, Elizabeth. His daughter, Natalie, looked up in interest.

"I'm sorry, the words 'having sex' indicated that it was willing on both behalf's." House said, "What I meant was, have you been raping your daughter?"

"Who the hell are you?" Mr Knight shouted at House who simply stared him out as Wilson shook his head, Cameron looked horrified and Chase tried not to laugh.

"I'm the person who plans on saving your daughters life." House said simply "So answer the bloody question, because I have other plans on Thursday and I really don't want to cancel them"

"No." The man frowned "I have not been abusing my daughter.

"Prove it." House dared, handing him the consent form Chase had given him. Mr Knight looked at House before looking back down at the form.

"Will the test be painful?" He asked nervously

"Not in the slightest." House informed him and the James Knight sighed before signing the slip.

**Thank you for all my reviews, they make me soooo happy! Lol, I have one more relationship to begin before I can get House and Chase together so bare with me lol, hope you liked Houses sarcastic whit lol :D:D:D:D:D:D**


	5. Magic

Ab Imo Pectore

From the Bottom of my Heart

**Chapter Five: Magic**

"It's not Syphilis." Gregory House said the moment he walked through the doors into the diagnostics office the next morning looking tired but perky. No one would have guessed that not even 24 hours before he was in a stress-induced coma.

"How are you?" Chase asked, standing when House walked into the room. Foreman and Cameron stared at him and House paused on his way to the coffee machine.

"Fine..." he said, suspiciously "Is this where I'm supposed to say 'and you'?"

"No." Chase said, sitting down and trying to look casual, running his fingers backwards through his long-ish blond hair. "How did you know it wasn't syphilis?"

"Magic." House answered immediately, walking over to the coffee machine and searching for his mug. "I knew from the fact that you three were still pouring over those blue files. I knew we didn't have a new case because Cuddy's car isn't here yet, so it must still be the last case and there would be no need to look at yesterdays case if the test for syphilis had been positive. Now where the hell's my cup?"

"What cup?" Cameron asked. Chase's eyebrows rose slightly and his mouth opened a little before he became conscious of his actions and his face returned to impassive as he put his hands underneath the glass desk and hid his hands up his sleeve. However his movements were not lost on House.

"Never mind." He said suspiciously, watching Chase carefully. "So!" He said "What's next on the diagnosis list?" He wrote the words 'Lesion/rash', 'unexplained fever' and underneath he wrote 'syphilis' before crossing it out.

"What else could it be?" He began, just as three pagers went off simultaneously. They all glanced at the number then at House.

"Go on then!" He sighed "Shoo." He waved them out of his office.

"Chase." He called the blonde Australian back. Chase paused; shoulders slumped in a sigh and followed House into his office.

House sat down on his desk, hanging his cane on the back of the chair and clutched his leg, popping a couple of Vicodin. He scrutinised Chase, who was standing in the doorway looking awkwardly around at anything except House, with his sapphire eyes.

"You broke my cup." He said, finally. Chase looked up, mouth opened slightly, eyes wider and eyebrows rose before looking down at the ground. He knew his reaction had ruined any chance he had of lying and denying breaking the cup that morning before Cameron and Foreman had arrived. Not that he would ever bother trying to lie to House; it just didn't work. House stood and reached under the desk and pulled out a small green box.

"Let me see your hand." House said, sitting back on the desk and pulling a roll of bandages and tape. He ignored Chase's protests that it was 'just a scratch'.

"Get your ass over here" He ordered and Chase walked over, holding out his hand. There was a deep cut across his palm. House took one look at it before glaring at Chase.

"You idiot." He told him "Why the hell didn't you get this bandaged straight away? I mean, you did this like an hour, 2 hours ago?"

"There didn't seem much of a point." Chase mumbled, looking down, blushing.

"Interesting..." House said after a brief pause, watching Chase's slightly pink face, frowning, but smiling slightly all the same. He took Chase's hand and used the antiseptic that was in the box to clean the cut. He ignored Chase's hiss of pain, though he did dab a little gentler afterwards. He wrapped Chase's hand in the clean white bandage and taped it up.

"There" He said to Chase as though he was a child "That wasn't too bad now, was it?"

"No..." Chase mumbled "I could have done it myself you know."

"Maybe you could have." House said, standing "But you wouldn't have, because that's the kind of idiot you are. You don't like drawing attention to yourself. Plus have you actually tried to bandage your own hand? It's really hard." Chase laughed and House smiled slightly "You can borrow one of my shirts if you like." He gestured at the blood on the sleeve of Chase's blue shirt. He tossed Chase his locker key "Now, go change and find out why your pocket was bleeping earlier." Chase smiled and turned to leave. House sat down in his chair and picked up his red and white ball.

"House?" Chase paused, turning to look at him "How did you know I broke your cup and hurt my hand?"

"Magic." House answered simply. Chase grinned and left.

"We have another symptom" Foreman said, walking into the diagnostics office where House sat on the floor leaning against the window 5 minutes later.

"Natalie has dry, rough skin on the back of her neck and around her hairline." Cameron said. House sat for a moment, thinking before standing. Cameron offered a hand to help him, but he refused. Chase smirked and handed him his cane which was hanging on the door.

"Where are you going?" Foreman asked as House left the room and went towards the elevator.

"Lunch." House said "Where do you think?"

House joined Wilson in the queue in the cafeteria, ignoring the scandalised look of the doctors he had pushed in front of and Wilson's apologetic look that clearly said 'what-can-I-do?'

"So..." Wilson began "You and Cuddy broke up?"

"Yep." House said cheerfully, picking up a sandwich.

"You want to talk about it?" Wilson asked, as usual.

"Nope." House replied, as usual.

"I hope you know I'm not paying for that." Wilson frowned at the offending sandwich in House's hand, picking up a salad and bottle of juice.

"Of course not." House agreed. They walked to the check out and Wilson got out his wallet, as did House, for which Wilson was pleased. House pulled out a five pound note and paid, not only for his food, but for Wilsons too. The brunette noticed it was the only money in the wallet, apart from a few pennies.

"Are you...okay?" Wilson asked as they sat at their usual table.

"Yep. Just thought I'd pay for once." House said

"Okay then..." Wilson said "And how are you after yesterday?"

"You asked me that last night." House said

"Yes, but you might feel differently today." Came the reply "it's been known to happen, you know. People's emotions change over-night sometimes."

"Who would have guessed." House answered sarcastically. "Speaking of emotions changing..." his voice trailed away as he stared at the small white table.

"what?" Wilson asked curiously when House didn't continue.

"Nothing." House said "I just wanted to see what you would do if I actually offered to talk about my emotions."

"Right. Okay. Of course." Wilson replied, also sarcastically.

"Actually, my emotions have changed." House said, a confused note in his voice "I actually don't care about Cuddy breaking up with me."

"House, you're bound to care a little bit." Wilson said but House interrupted him.

"Well, of course I care a little." House rolled his eyes "Who wouldn't? But I actually feel better today than I have in months, weirdly."

"That is weird." Wilson said, thinking it over.

"Anyway..." House said after a moment. "Must go. Got a case you know. Busy, busy, busy!"

"Hey House." Wilson called him before he stood. "How's Chase?"

"He's fine." House said, looking a little confused "He owes me a mug though. Tell him that next time you see him." House picked up his wallet from the side of the table, where Wilson hadn't noticed it being there. As he closed it, Wilson saw a twenty pound note in there.

"Hang on..." He said as House began to stand. He rooted through the pockets of his smart jacket and brought out his own wallet, noticing immediately that there was twenty pound missing.

"How the hell did you do that?" Wilson called after his friend as he walked away.

"Magic!" House called back over his shoulder.

"Lean forward." Doctor Robert Chase told Natalie. He checked the rash on the back of her neck and inspected the dry, raw-looking skin that surrounded it. As he pushed her back to check the skin along her hairline, she spoke.

"Will I die?" She asked. Due to the fever, she was quite weak and her voice was very quiet.

"No." Chase replied, looking at her. She was sweet, really. Muddy brown eyes shone from beneath her fashionable haircut which twisted from the top of her left year to the bottom of her right cheek. The rash or lesion was at the top of her neck, just underneath her hair. "We're sure that whatever you have, it isn't going to kill you."

The little girl smiled at him before leaning forward again as Wilson came in.

"Hi." He said "How are you." Chase knew what he meant immediately. After Wilson had found him on the toilet floor yesterday morning, Chase had told him everything he had just realised, everything he felt for House.

"I'm fine." Chase said "Little annoyed at Cameron though."

"Why is that?" Wilson asked

"Because she's been glued to House since he woke up." Chase sighed "You saw her yesterday. She told House she had been with him all day but she hadn't. I called her to come down on her way to her car to stay with House while I went to the bathroom, where I met you and you saw her when we came back. She was all over him."

"Lying to him was wrong." Wilson said "But she has as much right to him as...anyone else." He said, choosing his words carefully in front of Natalie.

"I know you're right." Chase sighed turning and walking away from Natalie as her mother returned and started talking to her daughter about school. "But don't worry. I'll be fine."

"Alright." Wilson said, as he turned to leave the room "And by the way, House told me to tell you that you owe him a mug." Chase laughed, just as Elizabeth Knight screamed. He and Wilson ran back into the room as Natalie's mother glared at them.

"What did you do?" She shouted at them, her hands full of clumps of her daughters brown hair.

**Hey! Thank you for the reviews, they are always appreciated. I'm holding a little competition, by the way. The three people who review the most will receive a special deleted scene from this story with plenty of Chase/House-y goodness.**

**In the next chapter:**

**-Find out why House replies "Magic" to everything**

**-Visit to the patents home**

**-An argument with Cuddy**


	6. Delivery

Ab Imo Pectore From the Bottom of my HeartChapter six: Delivery

"We have another symptom." Chase's voice said trough the phone.

"But mom!" House whined back "It's Saturday tomorrow!"

"Sorry, Natalie's hair doesn't know that." Chase replied, smiling

"What's wrong with her hair?" House frowned, suddenly serious.

"It's falling out." Chase replied "Not just one or two, but falling out in huge strands."

"I'll see you tomorrow." House sighed.

By the time Chase arrived that morning, a tired looking Cameron in tow, their boss was already sitting at the white board, which now read 'rash', lesion having been rubbed out, 'fever', 'no infections', 'dry skin' and 'baldness'. The word 'syphilis' had been crossed out.

"How long have you been here?" Cameron asked before anyone else had chance too.

"Since seven." House replied, eyes not leaving the board. "Couldn't sleep."

"Have you come to any theories yet?" Chase asked as Foreman walked through the door.

"You're late." House said, ignoring Chase's question completely.

"It's Saturday." Foreman sighed "What's on the agenda today?"

"So far, nothing." House replied. Foreman rolled his eyes.

"I'm going home." He said.

"Oh no you're not." House said, putting his cane horizontally between a leaving Foreman and the door.

"Careful." Chase couldn't resist teasing "I wouldn't put it pass him to break the windows to get out of here on a Saturday."

"Speaking of breaking windows…" House grinned while Foreman glared at Chase "As you're so eager to leave, Foreman you can go and search the patents home. Chase, go with him to make sure he doesn't escape. Cameron." He paused, staring at the girl "Check my email and do my paperwork. I'm going to go do some clinic hours before Cuddy turns into a fire breathing dragon with big breasts."

"That would be interesting." Chase couldn't help laughing. House turned with a smile in his eyes.

"What would be? The fire breathing dragon or the big breasts?"

Chase blushed bright red as House continued, "The fire-breathing dragon part wouldn't make much of a difference, I suppose, but the big breast's part would be a distinct variation. Now shoo my little ducky's or I'll get you, and your little dog too." House ended with an evil cackle before walking dramatically in the direction of the elevators.

"So what's going on with you and House?" Foreman asked whilst they were searching the Knight's relatively large home.

"What do you mean?" Chase asked. Luckily, Foreman was underneath Natalie's bed, searching for mould or any other incriminating factors and didn't see Chase freeze.

"You seem to be getting along better, that's all." Foreman said, wiggling out of the bed as Chase walked into Natalie's on-suite.

"I don't know." Chase replied, searching through the small medicine cabinet above the sink "Maybe he's just in a better mood since he broke up with Cuddy."

"Yeah…maybe…" Foreman trailed off, clearly no longer interested. "Did you find anything?"

"No." Chase said walking back into the fairly large, plain, fashionable girly bedroom "Nothing but designer toothbrush and toothpaste and a nearly empty bottle of old cough medicine."

"Come on then." Foreman practically ran from the room "Let's get out of here."

"Hang on." Chase said "I need to pick up something on the way back."

"Did you find anything?" House asked the second he walked into the office once his pager beeped to let him know his minions had returned.

"Apart from the fact that everyone in that house is unbelievably 'in' and 'fashionable'" Chase replied, lifting two fingers as inverted commas at the appropriate moments "The only medication was a half empty packet of Paracetamol and another half empty bottle of old cough medicine."

"Wow!" House said dramatically. Chase did a double take.

"What?" he asked, looking around, blushing slightly under his boss's sapphire gaze.

"What was with the whole sarcastic hate thing that at the 'fashionable and 'in' thing?" House asked, frowning at chase curiously

"Nothing personal." Chase said quickly before House went off on one of his complicated personal life theories "I just don't think it' very fair to shove fashion on a kid whose only worries should be homework and who's coming over for tea tomorrow, not cloths, accessories and hairstyles."

"Hmmm…" House said "Interesting."

"How do you get 'interesting' from that?" Chase asked, gazing in embarrassed amusement at House.

"Magic." House grinned, turning. "So you didn't find anything."

"Nothing" Foreman said. House sighed in fake defeat and turned to leave the office. The team followed.

"Where are you going?" Cameron called after him.

"To see Cuddy." Came the reply.

"Why?" Chase ran foreword in alarm.

"To get permission to biopsy the dry skin around the fashion kid's face." House replied.

"And how do you intend on doing that?" Foreman asked as House stepped into the elevator. House paused as though to think for a moment.

"Magic." Came the reply just as the elevator closed.

"I need to biopsy a face." House shouted as he barged into Cuddy's office.

"I'll phone you back." Cuddy sighed, putting down the phone.

"Who's that?" House asked loudly so that the called could hear him/

"Goodbye." Cuddy said, smiling slightly at the callers reply "Me too."

House went quiet as he realised who was on the phone and sighed.

"Anyway." He said, once Cuddy had hung up "I want to biopsy my patents face. Okay? Good. Bye!"

"Wait right there!" Cuddy called him back before he had even had chance to fully turn around "You mean the ten your old girl, right?"

"Damn." House said smartly "I was hoping you didn't know her age."

"you're not doing a biopsy on the face of a ten year old girl!" Cuddy said firmly

"But its only a little biopsy!" House replied.

"Oh grow up and stop being such a child!" Cuddy shouted "Fine." She sighed "I give up. Just do the damn biopsy."

"That was way too easy." House said, watching her carefully, a little surprised that he didn't feel anything towards her, not hate, resentment, not even love. "You're stressed. Ah well, works for me."

"Just go!" Cuddy said and House turned to obey "And while you're at it, do your own paperwork, don't make Cameron do it."

"But mom!" House complained "I have a bad cough!" He coughed loudly and fakely

"Then go drown yourself in cough medicine and do your damn job!" Cuddy said. House opened his mouth to make some smart comment but then froze.

"What?" Cuddy said looking at the shocked expression on House's face.

"I don't need a biopsy." House said before turning and leaving.

"It's hypothyroidism." House said, walking into the patents room where Chase, Foreman and Cameron stood, waiting for the all-clear on the biopsy.

"An over-reactive thyroid gland?" Chase gasped.

"To which the symptoms are thin, dry hair and dry, rough skin." House continued.

"But what about the fever and the rash?" Cameron asked

"Have you seen the whether outside?" House asked "It's heat rash and the fever is just a rise in temperature due to another symptom of Hypothyroidism which is…"

"decreased tolerance to certain temperatures." Chase continued. House looked at him and a small smile graced his rough features.

"Also, she has been ill recently which is why there was cough medicine in the cupboard." House continued ."do a blood test and in the meantime start her on thyroxin tablets."

"I'll be okay?" Natalie asked. House paused and looked at her.

"You'll be fine." He didn't smile but he didn't frown and ignore her either. He left the room and went to his office to get his bag and talk to Wilson.

"I solved the case." House said, walking into Wilson's office and sitting on his black sofa uninvited.

"What, the ten year old with hair loss?" Wilson asked.

"Yep." House said "It was hypothyroidism."

"right." Wilson paused, looking at House "And how did she develop this over-reactive thyroid gland?"

"She got ill" House replied "her parents gave her cough medicine, and one of the key ingredients of Cough medicine is iodine. An overdose of iodine results in hypothyroidism. I realised it when Cuddy told me to go drown myself in cough medicine."

"Right…" Wilson said, looking down at his paperwork "Hang on…" He said looking back up quickly "You talked to Cuddy?"

"Yep." He replied "I needed a biopsy. Well, I don't any more, but I did."

"Well, that's good." Wilson replied "So tell me, how can you, Greg House, who has no feelings and cares for no one whatsoever can see the person who's breaking up with him helped induce a small coma, and immediately return to the employer-employee relationship?"

"Magic" House replied without even thinking about it.

"What is with the magic thing anyway?" Wilson asked as House stood up.

"Didn't you know?" House asked looking shocked "Magic is the answer to everything"

"Okay then." Wilson laughed. "Are you driving me home tonight?"

"Yeah, why not." House replied.

"Let me pack up my stuff." Wilson said as House left the room "I'll be in your office in a second."

Greg House didn't reply. He walked into his own office, picked up his bag and turned off his computer. It was then he saw it. On the desk, wrapped in untidy, crumpled clue crepe paper, was a present. There was no note and House opened it with unhidden curiosity.

It was a mug. Plain and white, the same size as his original mug, and with black writing on the side which said:

"_Who needs God_

_When you can have_

_Vicodin?"_

House smiled and wrapped the mug up before putting it in his bag. When Wilson came in, he didn't tell him about the mug. He didn't need to. But he had a feeling that something was going to change, for the better, he hoped.

**Thank you my beloved readers for another bunch of reviews :D**

**A special thanks to Serenity1806 for making this FANTASTIC video, inspired by this fanfic.**

**Please watch :D**

.com/watch?v=U9-lW01OmFE

**Next time on House MD:-**

**-House said thank you**

**-Is it really hypothyroidism?**

**-a home visit**


	7. Visiting

Ab Imo Pectore

From The Bottom Of My Heart

**Chapter Seven: Visiting**

While Foreman went to get the blood test results, Chase went to check on the patent while Cameron continued to do House's paperwork the following Monday. House wasn't in yet, it was still early and as they technically had no case, they didn't expect him until just before midday.

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Foreman entered the testing area and began searching through the files for his own test results. This took approximately five minutes and when he found them he pulled them out and scanned them quickly. Then he froze. He read them again and then a third time. He gasped, turned and ran from the test room to the elevators as quickly as his legs could carry him.

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Chase entered Natalie's room to see her looking not very differently to when he had left her Saturday night.

"Hey." He said his Australian accent barely audible "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Natalie said. Neither of her parents had arrived yet. "My chest hurts a little, and I can't sleep very well. It's really boring."

"Angina, Insomnia and restlessness" Chase said "Typical side effects of the medicine we've been giving you."

"Is this a side effect too?" Natalie asked, gesturing to something on her head. Chase frowned and came closer, parting Natalie's hair to see a swollen mass on her scalp, discharging pus and making Natalie's fashionable brown hair stick together. Chase gasped and replied.

"No." He said "No, it's not a side effect."

He ran from the room and after a brief word to the nurse regarding Natalie's medication, he ran for the staircase.

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Cameron had just sat down with a mug of coffee and typed in House's password (Magic) before Chase and Foreman both ran in, breathing heavily.

"We need to call House." They both gasped.

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"It's not Hypothyroidism." Chase told House once they had beeped him.

"Why not?" House asked.

"Blood tests said so." Foreman said in a father-talking-to-a-child tone.

"And Natalie has developed a kerion on her scalp." Chase told him.

"As in a big bubble thing with pus and other gross things coming out of it?" House said pulling a face.

"That's the one." Chase replied, laughing at the expression on House's face.

"This calls for coffee!" House said cheerfully. He went to the coffee machine and pulled out his new mug, smiling proudly at the inscription on the side. Chase gasped loudly when he saw that House was actually using his mug, but managed to – unsuccessfully – disguise it as a sudden coughing attack. House looked at him and smirked.

"hmmm...interesting..." He muttered under his breath.

"Foreman!" He shouted suddenly. "Go do your clinic hours! Cameron! Go do your clinic hours. Chase! Go do my clinic hours." The three left, Chase hiding a laugh as House sat down and stared at the white board, doing what he did best.

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Three hours later Chase returned to see House sitting in the exact same place he had left him. He paused outside the door for a moment, watching his boss's figure, the way his eyes wrinkled at the corner slightly when he frowned, the way he would run his hand over his jaw every few minutes, the way his eyebrows would raise when he almost came to a theory.

"you know, it's kind of creepy to watch someone like that." House suddenly shouted through the glass. Chase blushed and hid a smile before walking in.

"You know, it's kind of creepy to know someone is watching you without even looking at them." He said and House looked up, a small smile on his face.

"S'up?" House asked, as the blonds green eyes focused on his mug and back to House.

"Nothing." Chase replied "I finished your clinic hours and mine are done, so I thought I'd help Cameron out and finish your paperwork."

"Fine." House said. Chase sat down at the desk and waited while the office computer switched on.

"Chase." House said quietly.

"yeah?" Chase replied, not looking up at House, and not expecting what he heard next.

"Is something wrong?" House asked, his voice laced with careful concern.

"What?" Chase gasped, dropping the pen he had been playing with to the floor.

"Nothing..." House replied, watching Chase's alarmed expression with confusion "Just something Wilson said, that's all."

"What did Wilson say?" Chase asked his voice several octaves higher in his panic and worry.

"Not much." House replied, looking back at the board "He just asked me how you were."

"I'm fine." Chase replied. HE visibly relaxed in his chair, and then something occurred to him. "House?" He asked. House looked at him and nodded in reply "Were you worried about me?"

House didn't say anything; he just paled and then reddened slightly before looking back at the board and coughing. Just then, Foreman walked in.

"No idea's then?" He asked, seeing House's slightly tense position.

"Plenty." House said, staring straight at Chase, so that Chase would realise that the question and answer were not necessarily interpreted towards the patent, the way Foreman had meant.

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That night House sat alone in his apartment. He glanced at the clock, and then poured a glass of whisky. He looked at the clock again, watching as five seconds went by. Ten seconds. Twenty. Finally he made his decision. Leaving the whisky where it was, he stood, picked up his cane and the keys to his motorbike and left the apartment.

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There were three sharp knocks at Robert Chase's front door and he got up quickly to open it. His heart almost stopped when he saw House standing there, leaning against the door frame casually, eyes fixed upon him.

"Hey." Chase said emerald eyes full of confusion.

"Hey." House replied. They stood there for a few seconds.

"Would you like to come in?" Chase asked, politely and when House agreed, he asked him if he wanted a drink.

"Yeah, just the one though, I've got to ride home at some point." House replied and House passed him a bottle of beer.

"You brought you're bike?" Chase asked and when House nodded he jumped up excitedly.

"Can we go see?" he asked "Please, pretty please?"

"Yeah, okay" House laughed at Chase's excitement. He put the beer on the table and he and Chase walked to the parking lot outside his apartment.

"So I'm guessing you like bikes." House asked, watching Chase's eager expression as he admired the bike "Do you ride?"

"I used to." Chase replied "And I still would if I had enough money to buy one."

After more bike talk, the two men went inside and continued talking.

"Bloody hell!" House gasped as he saw Chase's huge film collection "Do you have any kind of life or do you just spend your life watching DVDs?"

"Well..." Chase sat down, watching House's reaction in amusement "I don't really go out much. I have a few friends, but the most time I talk to them is online, really."

"How come?" House asked, sitting next to him on the yellow sofa.

"I prefer fiction to reality." Chase said "And I don't connect well with people, face to face."

"Hmm...Interesting." House said, smiling.

"So...why are you here?" Chase asked a twinkle in his eyes.

"I came to thank you." House replied, finishing his beer.

"For what?" Chase asked, generally confused.

"For the mug." House replied, smiling.

"Ah right!" Chase realised "No problem."

"Okay then." House said

"Okay then" Chase said too. They both looked at each other and smiled slightly.

"I got to go get drunk then." House said, standing.

"Good luck with that" Chase laughed, opening the door for him.

"Bye House." Chase called as he left the apartment. Just as he was about to shut the door, House called him.

"Hey Chase." He called.

"Yeah?" Chase asked, looking down the hall at him.

"Bye." He smiled, then left, leaving Chase smiling at his doorway.

**I know its short and kinda pointless, but it was all I could do and its kinda important :D**

**Thank you to all my readers :D**

**Also, Ive recently discovered a site called , wich is for fanfictioners such as myself who would like to talk, get ideas, give ideas exetera, and its quite good so try it out if you like :D**


	8. Falling

Ab Imo Pectore

From the Bottom of my Heart

**Chapter Eight: Falling**

House made an effort that morning. He put on his best blue shirt, though he didn't bother with a tie, as usual, and wore his tidiest jeans. He put on his leather jacket, grabbed his bike helmet and sun glasses and key and left the House at half past seven that morning. He arrived at Chase's apartment early and deciding he couldn't be bothered to wait, he popped a couple of Vicodin and knocked on Chase's door.

"House?" Chase asked as he opened the door to see his boss standing there.

"No." House replied in a witty voice "I am House's evil, not-as-good-looking twin brother, Apartment."

"What are you doing here?" Chase laughed.

"I have a surprise for you." He said.

"What? What?" Chase begged but House stood firmly.

"Nope!" He said "You can have it later. But first, offer the cripple some hospitality and invite me in for some coffee."

"I can do that." Chase smiled in reply. House walked in, shutting the door behind him. It was only then he noticed How Chase was dressed.

"Oh no, no, no." House said "This simply will not do."

"What?" Chase asked, frowning when House gestured at his clothes. He wore a pair of smart, blue trousers and a green shirt with a dark blue jacket and spotted tie.

"Dont you know the old rhyme?" House sighed "Blue and green, should not be see, Without a colour in between. It's the law!"

"And I suppose you can do better, hmm?" Chase said smartly.

"Actually, I can." House said. "Now go put on the pale green shirt with the black trousers and the silver tie."

"fine!" Chase sighed. It took him until he was putting on the silver tie to realise that House had actually taken enough notice of his clothes before today to know what was in his wardrobe. That thought filled him with happiness.

When Chase returned he turned to ask House what he thought but burst into fits of laughter to see House looking uncomfortable with a ginger cat around his neck.

"Chase?" House asked "Why is there a feline on the back of my head?"

"For one thing, Jayne is on your neck, not the back of your head." Chase laughed, and House froze. "What?" Chase asked, worriedly as House stood and the cat jumped from its new perch.

"I can't believe it!" House gasped "It was so simple! What did you say the patients mum did for a living?"

"She runs a pet store." Chase replied "And well too if she can afford for her and her daughter to be so fashionably forward."

"Does Nathen –" House began

"Natalie" Chase interrupted

"Yeah, her, does she have any pets at home?" House asked, eyes lighting up.

"Yeah, she has a hamster in her bedroom, why?" Chase asked, looking startled as House whooped for joy.

"Come on, Chasey, We've got work to not do!" House laughed, leaving the apartment. Chase grabbed his keys and ran after the limping idiot he was proud to call his boss.

"What's going on?" He asked, catching up with House.

"I'll explain all at the hospital." House grinned "Now for your surprise." House pointed at his bike.

"You get to ride with me today" He grinned, handing Chase the helmet and climbing on the bike.

"Wow, really!" Chase looked like a kid at Christmas as he put on the helmet and sat on behind House. He put his hands first on his wait, then on his shoulders, unsure of what to do with them. Sighing, but hiding a smile at Chase's awkwardness, House grabbed the Australians arms and pulled them around his waist.

"Hold on tight" He said, putting on his glasses "We're in for a bumpy ride"

He couldn't suppress his grin at Chase's gleeful shout as they sped away from the apartment.

000

House was almost disappointed when they arrived at the hospital. Though he hated to admit it to himself, he had enjoyed the closeness of the situation, not just the feelings of Chase's strong arms wrapped around him but of the company as well. He often longed for company. That was one of the things he missed most about being with someone. He wanted someone who would know when he needed to be in physical contact, whether it was full contact or just a knee against a knee, a foot against a leg, a back against a chest, or even just holding hands.

But House wanted to do the thing that he did second best: boast about the thing he did best. As he and Chase entire the hospital at 8:30, and checked in, earning a few stares from the gossiping nurses, they went into the elevator and to House's office. Not surprisingly, Foreman was there and even less surprisingly, so was Cameron.

"Guess what!" House said loudly, making them all jump "I'm going to make cupcakes and put candles in them because we have just solved our Hundredth case this year."

He paused, gazing at Foreman, chase and Cameron's amused but confused faces.

"Okay, I lied." He said "I'm not really going to make cupcakes. But I have solved the case, and it is our hundredth this year, and yes, I count."

"You solved Natalie's case?" foreman asked "What does she have?"

"With me you must come, my young apprentices, and show you I will" House grinned manically, earning a laugh from Chase and a confused look from Cameron and Foreman who apparently had not seen Star Wars.

None the less however, the team followed him into Cuddy's office where he made a mess of her desk before stealing her microscope and half-skipping to Natalie's room.

"Well hi there little girl!" House grinned "Good to see you again." He walked forward and checked the rash at the back of her neck, nodding slightly. Then he put on gloves, parted her hair, being careful of the blister like object, and began searching her scalp.

"Aha!" He grinned "There you are my beauty! Come look!"

Chase went first and gasped.

"Congratulations!" He said to Natalie while Foreman and Cameron inspected her head. "You have tinea capitis. Also known as ringworm of the scalp. Basically you have little worms living inside the skin between your head and your brain. The lesion we decided was a rash was in fact a lesion and if you notice, it is not in her neck, it is on her scalp, or the back of her head, but due to the fashionable wonky hairstyle, we couldn't tell the difference. The dry patches around her head, the baldness, the keiron, it's all explained by this."

"And how did my daughter get this?" Mr Knight asked, standing.

"From her hamster." House replied "Ringworm is often passed down to young children through pets, especially things like hamsters, gerbils, rats ect. So you'll need to get rid of that. And the treatment is really simple. She needs to take antifungal medication for a few days and because of the kerion, she'll need to take some corticosteroids for even less time. Unfortunatly, she may have a small bald patch where the kerion has formed for the rest of her life, but that is the only long term affect she'll have."

The parents look stunned for a moment before Mrs Knight stood and hugged House, gaining a sharp intake of breath from his three ducklings. House looked around awkwardly, and then patted her on the back, a soft smile on his face that no one except Chase saw. When Mrs Knight let go, House turned and saluted Natalie before leaving the room.

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House sat in his office. His three pets were in the clinic, but for once he had actually finished his clinic hours. He contemplated doing extra clinic hours so that he didn't have to do them next week, but he couldn't be bothered. He sat on his chair, facing away from the computer, gazing out the window.

He was thinking about Chase. He was different from everyone else. He seemed to like House for himself. Wilson liked House but he put up with his comments where as Chase actually laughed at them.

"Are we friends?" House mused aloud, blue eyes pensive. "Could we be more?" He asked silently. He didn't know if he wanted to be with Chase in that way. What he did know is that he wanted to spend more time around the blonde, and to actually get to know him. But what if more came of it? House had always been open to same sex relationships and he had always suspected Chase to be gay, but after just breaking up with Cuddy, could he fall in love again? He didn't know what to do.

He heard noises in the next room and he looked up to see that the sky had darkened while he was deep in thought. House sighed and walked into the diagnostics room. His leg was killing him, he needed Vicodin.

"Hey Chase." He said, throwing him the Vicodin bottle "Open this for me?"

"Sure." Chase replied, struggling with the lid.

"Here, let me." Foreman offered as House watched in slight amusement.

"No, its fine, I can-"Chase said, just as the lid fell off and small white pills fell everywhere. "-do it." He finished. Foreman, Cameron and Chase all looked at an apparent thunderstruck House who was gazing at the pills in mock horror.

"Chase." House said tensely "Go get me another bottle then go home. On the bus. Here's bus fare." He said. This was his revenge. No immediate Vicodin = no bike ride home.

"Okay." Chase sighed miserably at the fact that he had now missed his ride home.

"Bye House." Foreman said as he, Chase and Cameron left the room. House went back to his office and sat on his chair, his leg stretched out to wait for Chase to come back.

But Chase never did.

"Here." Cameron said, putting the Vicodin down on the desk in front of him, snapping House out of his deliberation. House looked suspiciously at Cameron and then at the pills before picking up the small orange bottle and dry-swallowing two.

"Where's Chase?" House asked.

"He went home." Cameron replied "I had to come up here to get my purse and I said I'd take these to you."

"How kind of you." House said sarcastically. He stood up, stretched his arms and grabbed his cane. "Dear little Cameron, always looking to help others-"He began but was cut off when a pair of soft lips pressed against his own. House froze, leaning into the kiss. Cameron was a good kisser and House couldn't help but wonder if Chase could kiss this well.

Oh fuck.

Chase.

What am I doing?

Crap.

House froze and gently pushed Cameron away from him. She stared at him, silver eyes looking hurt and confused.

"Sorry." House said and then without feeling the need to say anything else turned and left the room, leaving a confused Cameron standing there.

**I apologise for the mistake on the last chapter about the fan fiction discussion site, it didn't come up. The site is "fanbbs DOT net" and it's quite good. Have fun 3**


	9. Drunk

Ab Imo Pectore

From The Bottom Of My Heart

**Chapter Nine: Drunk**

House couldn't remember how he got home. He was glad he had taken his Vicodin before Cameron had kissed him because he didn't think he would have had neither the strength nor the will to take them afterwards. He walked into his apartment, dropping his keys on the floor and dumping his jacket. He gazed around the room and suddenly he felt sick to the stomach. He limped as quickly as he could to the backroom, abandoning his cane at the bathroom door. He leaned over the sink and heaved, but he did not throw up. He spat out the taste of Cameron's lips into the sink and turned the shower on. Pulling himself into the bath, without waiting for the shower to cool down and whimpered when the hot water scalded his skin. After a few seconds, however when the shower had cooled down, House missed the painful but satisfying burn of the water and so he turned the shower up. He paused, gasping under the hot water and continued turning the water up until it was so hot he couldn't tell whether it was white hot or freezing cold.

After scrubbing himself clean with a rough nylon dish scrubber, he climber out. He didn't bother to dry himself, he just pulled on underwear and trousers before he limped into the living room and fell to the floor. He gazed at the ceiling, feeling almost high as the heat from the shower made him hallucinate clouds on the ceiling. His skin was rubbed raw and his shoulders felt sunburnt.

He felt as though he had been raped, he thought. It was not meant to happen, it was a mistake and now what could he do? As a rule he did not focus on the mistakes of the past, but his mind kept bringing him back to the kiss.

He cheated, he realised. He had cheated on Chase. Was it actually cheating if they weren't together? But if Chase ever found out about this he wouldn't want him anymore. He had kissed someone else while wanting Chase. But there was still no guarantee that Chase liked him at all. But still, he felt as dirty and disgusting as if he had slept with both Cameron and Chase. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair.

House staggered slowly to his feet and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of whiskey and a glass. He sat down on the sofa, staring at the blank TV screen as though it would give him the answers. When it didn't he sighed and poured himself a shot. He drank it in one and poured a full glass which didn't last much longer. After the third glass he gave up on the glass and just drank mouthfuls from the bottle.

Chase had a right to know, he decided. He had to tell him. Even if he didn't care, Chase had the right to know. Perhaps he shouldn't know everything yet, but still he had to know House had cheated on him. His slightly drunken stupor gave him confidence and even though he knew he was way over the limit, House picked up the keys to his bike and somehow rode to Chase's apartment without accident.

Chase heard the loud continuous knocking that sounded more like something hard and wooden rather than a fist. He hurried to open the door and found House standing there, still making knocking movements with his cane even though the door was open.

"House?" Chase asked. House looked up and looked confused.

"Chase?" He asked "What are you doing here?"

"House, this is my apartment." Chase reminded him. "Are you drunk?"

"Well, that depends." House said "I'm shirtless, which says yes, but I'm wearing my bike jacket which says kind of. I wasn't drunk enough to not be able to drive here now, but I am drunk enough to forget why I drove here, but I'm not yet drunk enough to agree that I'm too drunk and therefore you should get me a beer."

"Okay then..." Chase looked amused. Perhaps it wasn't sensible but he did what House said and gave him a beer. House sat on the sofa and Chase closed the door. Chase grabbed his fourth beer and sat next to House.

"So what are you doing here?" He asked, laughing at House's confused expression.

"I don't know." House said "I may be drunk."

"You think?" Chase laughed "and why are you drunk?"

"Because whisky is bad in the mornings." House mumbled then suddenly sat up "You know what Chase?"

"What?" Chase asked, laughing as House put his arm over the back of the sofa and looked at him.

"You have real pretty hair." House said, taking a strand between his fingers and stroking it slightly. "And really cool eyes."

"Thank you?" Chase smiled, though his heart started beating erratically at the compliment and at the closeness of House's hand.

"Chase?" House asked, pulling his hand away and leaving back slightly "Are we friends?"

"Well, yes." Chase said "I think so"

"I have to know something," House leaned forward, his eyes rolling slightly with intoxication "Do you like me?"

"What?" Chase asked, paling considerately "What do you mean?"

"Do you as a person like me as a person?" House said "Because we're both persons and not many persons like me very much. Not even Cuddy."

"House, I do like you." Chase smiled "You're a great guy, not just a good doctor, but a funny, sarcastic, irritating but in a good way, good-looking guy. And I'm sure Cuddy did like you, and still does."

"You think I'm good looking?" House frowned. Chase blushed and made a mental note never to drink again. However, before he had to come up with a reply, he was saved by House's memory.

"Aha!" He shouted, making Chase jump "I remember why I came here! Ah shit." House's face dropped and he turned from Chase and buried his face in his hands.

"House?" Chase said, worriedly. He came a little closer to House and put his hand on his back between his shoulder blades "House? What's wrong?"

"I cheated on you." House mumbled "I'm so, so sorry."

"What do you mean?" Chase said, clearly confused

"I kissed Cameron." House mumbled and Chase froze.

"What?" he gasped eventually.

"No, that was wrong!" House said "Cameron kissed me, and I didn't want to, and I was thinking about you and then it all went wrong and I left her but I cheated on you."

"House." Chase sighed, but House wasn't listening "Greg!" He said, successfully attempting to get the older mans attention "We're not together so it wasn't cheating and Cameron kissed you, not the other way round. It's okay."

"Really?" House said, gazing at Chase with sapphire blue eyes.

"Yes." Chase smiled "I mean, we can't even blame Cameron really, who could resist you?" He laughed, a little more confident after House had (drunkenly) admitted he had been thinking about Chase while kissing Cameron. Besides, he wasn't sure House would even remember this in the morning.

"Hey Chase?" House said after a moment "Can I call you Robert?"

"Well, my friends call me Robbie." Chase smiled.

"Can I call you Robbie then?" House asked, looking weary of Chase's answer and Chase realised this was just a test to see how much House meant to him.

"Of course." Chase grinned "If I can call you Greg."

"Okay." House smiled "But not in work, okay?"

"Fine." Chase grinned. House sighed and complained that he was warm. Chase stood to open the window, but House wouldn't let him go. He was quite clingy when he was drunk, not that Chase minded. House took off his jacket and Chase gasped.

Like House had said earlier, he was shirtless but his shoulders and half of hid back and chest were a brilliant red, like sunburn.

"House?" Chase gasped "What happened?"

"Shower got too hot." House said and Chase could tell by the way House refused to look at him that it was intentional damage.

After a while of just sitting and staring at the wall, Chase realised that House was slowly leaning backwards more and more until he had completely fallen asleep. Chase watched in amazement as the deep, regular breaths came from House's lips and he let his eyes wander over his boss's face, in a way he never could had he been awake. He also, with worried eyes, inspected the damage done to House's shoulders and chest, but they seemed to only be first degree burns and nothing could be done about that.

Chase sighed and looked at the clock. It read half past eleven. He sighed and left House where he was, putting a blanket over him, before taking one last look and turning out the lights. He changed into his pyjamas and crawled into bed, setting his alarm for seven.

It was in the middle of the night when Chase awoke next. He listened in terror at the sounds of scuffing coming from his living room but it was only when he heard a low deep moan that he remembered House was on his sofa, and relaxed. However the sounds did not stop and curious, Chase left his warm bed.

House was where Chase had left him, on the sofa, but the blanket had fallen away and House was now lying down, facing the inside of the sofa. The scuffing sounds were the sounds of House's feet and arms moving slightly every now and again and the sad whimpered and moans were coming from House himself. Chase realised with horror that House was having a nightmare.

"House." He whispered "House, come on, wake up."

At the sound of Chase's voice House began talking in his sleep.

"No..." He whimpered "No Stacy...don't...Why? Lisa...Cameron...All of you...stop...please..." House began crying in his sleep. "Dad...Mum, stop him...why won't you help me?"

"House, it's me, Chase." He said, shaking him slightly "It's Robbie."

"Robbie?" House asked in his sleep "Chase?" House immediately relaxed and his breathing became more even, although he was still whimpering.

"House, wake up." Chase said and suddenly House did. With A gasp, House sat up, breathing heavily and quickly, looking confused to see himself trapped between someone else and the back of the sofa.

At the painful hyperventilating gasps and the terror in House's eyes, Chas realised that House was claustrophobic. He backed away and got him a glass of water to calm him.

"Robbie" House said, drunken and still half asleep eyes on him "Don't go."

"I'm not going anywhere." Chase promised, sitting besides house and putting the blanket back over him. He took the new empty glass from him and wrapped his arm around House's shoulders. He expected House to just push him away but he didn't, he leaned into Chase and it wasn't long before his breathing slowed and he fell asleep again.

After making sure House was asleep, Chase stopped trying to hold back the tears that now flowed freely down his cheeks. He couldn't believe what he had heard. House crying, naming all the people that had hurt him. He wondered what his father had done to him but refused to think about it. He just sat there, House's head on his lap, until he finally fell asleep.

Unsurprisingly, House didn't have any more nightmares that night.


	10. Stealing

Ab Imo Pectore

From the Bottom of my Heart

**Chapter Ten: Stealing**

When Gregory House woke up the next morning he was incredibly confused. His leg hurt, having missed his just-before-bed dose of Vicodin and his head was pounding. Gazing at the giant flat screen TV and the huge shelf of DVD's House placed himself in Chase's apartment.

Chase.

Shit.

House groaned as he remembered the previous night. He had never had problems remembering drunken nights as he had kind of gotten used to them. He sighed and groaned at his headache and dizziness as he stood up and quickly popped a couple of Vicodin. He glanced down at his shirtless top half and blushed slightly at the fact that he had slept shirtless on Chase's lap all night. Speaking of Chase, where was the little wombat? House checked the clock: it was half past nine. He was late.

After rooting through Chase's wardrobe, House chose a simple gray shirt and an old 'I "Heart" NY' t-shirt. He admired Chase's bedroom, which was painted silver on one was and white on all the others, with a simple gray carpet and returned to the living room for his keys. He stared in confusion at the coffee table where his keys had been. Instead there was a small piece of paper with his name on it. Not House, but Greg. House smiled at this remembering how he (for some reason he couldn't remember) had asked Chase if they were friends. He grinned remembering how Chase had called him good-looking and had said that no one could resist him. He turned over the piece of paper and the two words on it made his frown with suspicion.

_Forgive Me_

House frowned. Underneath Chase had drawn a small smiley face, so it couldn't be too terrible. He glanced at the table. There was nothing else on it but some spare change. House counted it up. It added up to $2:35 exactly, the same price for a bus fare. House gasped, realising what was going on.

"He wouldn't!" He thought and limped to the window. There, where he remembered parking his motorbike yesterday was an empty space.

"Shit!" House gasped, though he couldn't help laughing just a little.

000

Chase grinned as he sat down beside Cameron. It was ten o 'clock and House wasn't in yet. It couldn't be long now. With a satisfied grin, Chase identified the sound of uneven footsteps along with a third familiar clunking noise.

As House turned into the room, Foreman and Cameron (who hadn't said a word to either of them) looked clearly shocked at the look of pure anger that radiated from House's expression and was directed at Chase, who was still grinning manically.

"You evil wombat!" House said with fake fury. Cameron and Foreman both sent Chase looks that clearly read "I'm-glad-I'm-Not-You-Right-Now" as Chase continued to grin.

"You stole my bike!" House shouted. Cameron and Foreman looked immensely shocked. That was the last thing they expected to hear from House.

"I did not!" Chase denied, with a smirk that clearly said 'haha'.

"What! Who did then?" House asked sarcastically.

"You're twin brother, the one that looks exactly like you except not as good looking." Chase replied. House looked confused as Chase continued "I believe he had a name vary simile to yours...was it Flat? No...Bungalow...no..." He grinned as a look of pure amazement came across House's face as he realised what Chase was talking about and burst into laughter, holding his stomach as Chase giggled and Cameron looked terrified. Foreman just rolled his eyes.

"Hey House, I got your phone call last night and I—" Wilson began, freezing as he saw House and Chase giggling like teenagers in the middle of the diagnostics office with a very scared Cameron and an unamused Foreman.

"I'll come back later..." Wilson said, looking extremely disturbed as he left, causing House to giggle more.

"But you still stole my bike!" House said, once the laughter had stopped "It is an unforgivable offence!"

"I brought you Vicodin!" Chase said, magically producing another bottle of Vicodin from his pocket. House stopped dead. If he had this, Wilson wouldn't get annoyed when he didn't ask him for a fill-up for the next week or so, which was great.

"You little minx" House tutted, taking the Vicodin "See, this is why I like you." He grinned, winking at Chase so that Foreman and Cameron couldn't see.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Cameron didn't say anything to House and House acted no differently to Cameron which seemed to upset her slightly but House didn't care. When the end of the day came, House found Chase in the clinic.

"Hey, girly." He called. Chase turned, smiling "Want a life home?"

"Sure." Chase smiled "Sounds good."

"great." House smiled "Not get that skinny ass out here."

The rode back to Chase's apartment and Chase was please when House accepted his offer to stay for dinner.

"What are you making?" House asked, putting his bag by the door and taking off his coat.

"Spagetti Bolonaise." Chase replied.

"Sounds good." House replied.

All was silent during the making of the meal As Chase put the plate down by the table, he coughed slightly. He wondered whether he should mention House's talking in his sleep the previous night.

"The food is really good." House said. Chase smiled at the compliment and nodded, returning to his thoughtful stage. After a few minutes, House put down his knife and fork.

"Robbie." He said, a squeezing sensation in his stomach at saying Chase's first name aloud since he was sober. Chase jumped and looked up, smiling at House's use of his name but his eyes hid something. "I'm not going to beat around the bush here so tell me what's bugging you so that we can sort it out and move on."

"What?" Chase gasped, then shook his head, realising that he could never hide anything from House. "Oh right. It's just...well...last night...do you remember anything?"

"I remember just about everything, I think" House said, frowning.

"Do you remember waking up in the night?" he asked, avoiding looking into House's eyes.

"Vaguely." House replied "I don't know why but I know you gave me a glass of water and" House coughed awkwardly "And I know I asked you not to leave, and you said that you weren't going anywhere and that I slept on your lap." Even though it was awkward, finding out what was bothering Chase was more important than his vulnerability last night, he decided.

"You woke up because you were having a nightmare." Chase told him and by the way House froze he knew last night had not been the first time. "And the thing is...you see...you talked in your sleep, a little."

"Right." House said, paling slightly "And what did I say?"

"You said a few names." Chase said, blushing deeply "You said Cuddy's, Stacy's and Cameron. You asked them to stop. You mentioned your dad and then asked your mum to stop him."

House was quiet for so long, Chase almost thought he wasn't going to answer.

"Listen." House said eventually "We're obviously becoming friends, so I think you disserve to know a little about me. Basically, Cameron, Stacy and Cuddy, they've all hurt me in some way. Some worse than others. I mean, Stacy almost cost me my leg, Cuddy broke my heart and Cameron made me hate myself so much I gave myself sunburn. As for my Dad...well, I don't think I can talk about him right now. I don't talk about my parents to anyone. Even Wilson knows not much more then you. So I'd appreciate it if we could not talk about them."

"Yeah, that's fine" Chase replied. He looked down at his food for a moment and then back up. "Thanks" He said quietly.

"For what?" House asked

"For opening up to me." Chase mumbled "And for coming over here yesterday to tell me about what happened with Cameron, even though you didn't need to."

"That's okay." House replied, looking awkward. He took a bite of the spaghetti and ended up with a single string down his chin. When he sucked it into his mouth, bolognaise sauce flicked all over his face and Chase burst out laughing while House cleaned himself up, grinning.

000

House did not stay at Chase's that night, but that was okay. House was slowly but surely learning to laugh again, and that was defiantly a good thing.


	11. Allergies

Ab Imo Pectore

From the Bottom of my Heat

**Chapter Eleven: Allergies**

Chase looked happy when he came into work a week or so later. They had solved another case and House and he had had dinner, r drinks, or just a discussion at least once every day.

"Chase!" Wilson called as the blond walked past his office "Can I have a word?"

"Of course." Chase replied, confused. He felt as though he was a student about to be told off by the teacher. He walked into Wilson's office and sat down in front of the desk. Wilson closed the door and sat down in front of Chase.

"Look." He began, looking like a councillor or a shrink sitting in front of Chase, his stance professional. "I know you like House and even though he might now say it or even realise it, I know House well enough to know that he's at least starting to like you too. I just need to know that you're not screwing around with him. He's my friend and I know I only know a little of what he's been through, but I do care about him"

"I'm not screwing around." Chase said when Wilson was done "I don't want to hurt House. I don't want to be another person he has nightmares about; I want to be the one who takes his nightmares away."

"You know about House's nightmares?" Wilson asked, seeming astonished "have you..." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"No, no, we're not together" Chase blushed furiously "He was drunk and he came over and fell asleep on my couch. I heard...him" Chase cautiously moved around the word crying "In the night and I woke him up. He got quite claustrophobic but when I calmed him down he just fell asleep on my lap."

"I see." Wilson frowned "He was a bit like that with me. Whenever I was having trouble with one of my many wives, I would stay on House's couch and I learnt that it was better not to wake him up, just touch him and let him know you're there and subconsciously he'll calm down."

"Okay." Chase smiled

"Right." Wilson said "You'd better be off now. The weather sunny and the birds and the bees are smiling."

"I hate this weather" Chase said, standing "I'm horribly allergic to bees, so I'm no good when it comes to going outside."

"I have hay fever" Wilson grinned "It's just as bad."

Chase smiled, and paused as he was walking out.

"Hey, Wilson?" He asked.

"Yes?" Wilson said, looking up

"Thanks for the advice." He smiled and was gone before Wilson had the chance to say 'no problem'.

000

Cameron was on the computer. Foreman had gone home about an hour ago. House was playing with his ball and Chase was doing crosswords.

Cameron sighed loudly, brushing her hair away from her face as a sign of annoyance towards the hot weather. She stood and opened a window. The smell of clean air and the sound of chirping birds filled the room.

Chase had already taken off his lavender shirt and silver tie and sat in his trousers and Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital t-shirt. House was wearing Chase's 'I "Heart" NY' T-shirt which he had refused to return because he had decided it suited him better, not that Chase had a problem with that. As he sat chewing his pencil, he felt a small, but sharp pain on the back of his bicep.

"Ouch!" He gasped, standing up and rubbing the spot where the pain had come from. House came limping in immediately.

"What's up?" he asked, trying to appear casual, more for Cameron's sake then anyone else's.

"Nothing" Chase replied "banged my arm" He lied; because it was easier then explaining he had randomly been hit by sudden pain.

"Okay." House replied, seeing that he was lying but understanding. Instead of returning to his office however, he sat down at the head of the diagnostics table and continued playing with his ball.

After a while, House coughed. Then he coughed again more loudly. Chase looked up and House winked at him. When Cameron turned away he began making vulgar gestures in made-up sign language that had Chase in fits of giggles. Every time Cameron looked over at them House would fake scratching his head or tapping his fingers, making Cameron glare accusingly at Chase and Chase start giggling more. That was however until his lungs contracted slightly. Chase gasped, finding it difficult to breathe in, however he did not want to worry House and so he pretended to cough, although it was difficult to breathe in between coughs. His vision slowly began to blur until he was blinking furiously at the paper.

"You okay?" House asked, looking concerned.

"Yes." Chase coughed a little breathlessly "I just need...a...drink..."

He stood up and the room spun around him. He felt dizzy and light headed and he needed coffee. As he stood and swayed, House stood as well and Cameron turned to watch with concerned gray eyes. Chase gasped as his head seemed to explode and he brought his hand to his forehead. The top of his back hurt and he had increased difficulty breathing and swallowing which was making his chest hurt and his heart ache.

"Robert?" he heard House's voice as though from a distance. Unable to say anything as he felt his throat was squeezing in on itself, he simply tried to smile and nod, but he couldn't open his eyes, the pain in his head was too severe. He rubbed his hands over his face and when they came away wet, he realised he was crying. Everything seemed to loud to him. He heard Cameron calling his name distantly and felt House's hand on his back as his boss tried to open his eyes but Chase screwed them shut. It hurt too much to open them. He knew his face was flushed and red and he was having more and more trouble breathing. He felt House's hands on his neck and wrist and he knew by the sharp intake of breath that it was not good. His heart seemed to be beating through his chest. He heard House shouting something to Cameron, words he knew should make sense but it didn't. The room spun and spun and as chase opened his eyes, the only thing that didn't spin was House. The blue eyes were filled with worry and concern and the lips were calling his name, but he could do anything.

"Greg." He gasped before the room went black and he fell to the floor.

"Shit!" House swore and Cameron gasped at how worried House was.

"Go get a crash cart woman!" He shouted and she ran from the room. Ignoring the pain in his leg he knelt down and pulled Chase into recovery position. He felt his pulse again; it was through the roof. All of a sudden, Chase's limp body began to shake and stutter, throwing itself around, all the muscles convulsing.

"He's having a seizure in here!" House shouted through the door, hoping someone would go get help quicker the Cameron was, but there was no one.

"Come on Robbie," House said, holding the blonde firmly down while his seizure passed. With a few more convulses, Chase threw up onto House's lap, but he barely noticed. He put his brain to work and tried desperately to put all the symptoms together but he couldn't think of anything. And then he saw it. A dead bee lay on the floor underneath the table and judging by the wing spasm it had only just died. House gasped and forced Chase's mouth open and seeing that his throat was swollen, he glanced around for proof; he wasn't taking any chances with his Robbie. Then he remembered why he had come in the room in the first place. Quickly, he pulled up the sleeve of Chase's t-shirt and saw it: a small spot, bruising a little on the back of his bicep where chase couldn't see.

House climbed to his feet as quickly as he could and dragged his leg over to the medicine cupboard and searched. He pulled out the small, long, circular object wrapped in plastic and returned to Chase. Falling to his knees, he cried out in pain as he hit his bad leg on the floor and as he ripped the plastic off Chase began to seize again, hitting House's leg and making it twice as worse.

"It's good I got that spare Vicodin" a detached part of him thought as he pulled out the EpiPen and stabbed it into Chase's leg.


	12. Truth

Ab Imp Pectore

From the Bottom of my Heart

**Chapter Twelve: Truth**

House sat on the chair beside Chase's bed, his cane stood vertically in front of him, His head leaning on the handle of the cane. He closed his eyes and sighed. He shouldn't be in here, he should be outside, watching but hiding before anyone realised that he, the infamous demon doctor actually cared for someone, and that someone was a young 27 year old male who happened to work for him. But the way he saw it, he never cared about what people thought about him so why should he start now, at a time when the person who at that moment in time meant the most to him in this world needed him.

"House." Someone called him "House!"

House's eyes snapped open and he realised he had fallen asleep. Kneeling in front of him was Wilson, who looked worried.

"Oh no." House complained "Am I in for a long complicated talk about how I should show my true feelings and all that jazz?"

"No." Wilson smiled. "I just came to ask if you were okay."

"I'm fine." House sighed "Well, my legs killing me, I stink like vomit and if it weren't for my dear white pill-shaped friends I would have a pounding headache, but then again, I'm not the one in the hospital bed."

"Makes a change" Wilson laughed and House actually smiled. "How is Chase?"

"He's...breathing." House said, checking for the ninth time during the past fifteen minutes, which was nothing compared to how he had been for the past hour and half Chase had been unconscious.

"So how come you stink like vomit?" Wilson asked standing and inspecting the blonde in the bed.

"Chase had a seizure and threw up on me" House sighed, standing and stretching, wincing at the pain in his leg.

"When was this?" Wilson asked, raising an eyebrow.

"About a minute before I injected Chase with an EpiPen and then the crash cart came." House replied "At long last" he muttered darkly, hoping that Cameron's ears were burning.

"Seriously?" Wilson asked "Why haven't you showered?"

House paused before answering, not blushing, but looking pretty unsure.

"I don't know" He admitted "I just...couldn't."

"You really do care for him, don't you?" Wilson asked brown eyes fixed on House's fixed stare at the blonde in the bed.

"Yes." House said, only truthfully admitting it to himself at the same time. He looked at Wilson astonished. "I think I do. And I don't know what I would do without him."

"That's...good...I think" Wilson smiled at his friend. He sighed and then patted House's back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah." House replied, still watching Chase as Wilson left. What House didn't see was Wilson pause just outside the glass wall of Chase's room and look back to see House smiled and take Chase's hand softly in his own. He couldn't help but wonder how he didn't see the perfection of the couple before.

000

Chase's head was filled with a loud, painful buzzing when he awoke. He groaned and tried to rub the pain away from his forehead but one of his hands wouldn't move. He realised that someone was holding it and he opened his sharp green eyes and looked straight into those of Gregory House.

"Hey." Chase smiled softly, his voice horse and throat painful. "What happened?"

"You got stung by a bee." House announced "And you went into anaphylactic shock. You fainted, seizured twice, threw up on my trousers, practically killed my leg, had to be stabbed with adrenalin and be given meds to make the swelling in your throat die down before you suffocated or had a heart attack."

"Wow." Chase said simply after a while. House smiled.

"Typical of you" House grinned "to almost die on a bright and sunny day like this."

"Aww, did I ruin your plans?" Chase said in fake sympathy "What were you going to do, go for a walk in the sunshine?" House laughed.

"Shut up, you cocky bastard" He smiled "Just because you're in bed, it doesn't mean I can't kick your ass all the way back to Sidney."

"With that leg you couldn't reach" Chase smirked and House grinned again. "When can I be discharged?"

"An hour ago." House said "the second you woke up you're supposed to be out of here. Cuddy said you can have the week off if you want."

"nah." Chase said "It would be boring." He got out of bed and after House had handed him his clothes and he had changed, they left the hospital.

"Come on." House said "Wilson lent me his car to take you home."

Ten minutes later they pulled up outside House's apartment. Chase looked confused and House sighed.

"You didn't think I would let you go home alone did you?" House sighed "And I can't face any more nights on your sofa."

Chase didn't really feel up to complaining so he followed House inside and sat down on the sofa, closing his eyes.

"Don't you dare fall asleep." House threatened, poking him with his cane "You've slept for the past hour and half. If you sleep any more, you won't sleep tonight and I'm not staying up with you."

"Fine!" Chase sighed "Okay!"

The afternoon was spent watching cartoons and playing on House's Xbox, to which House won three out of five games of Grand Theft Auto after House had showered away the smell of stale vomit, that is. They had Chinese food for dinner, to which House made sure there was no bees in Chase's meal, laughing as he did so and then Chase sat on the floor, leaning against the couch while House stretched across it. It wasn't long until Chase was falling asleep again, but it was only eight o' clock.

"I know something that will keep us up" House grinned wickedly "Truth or dare?"

"Seriously?" Chase grinned "What's next, hair braiding and make over's?"

"Come on, it'll be fun!" House told him and Chase sighed.

"Okay, fine. Truth" He said and House thought for a second.

"What is your favourite film?" House asked and Chase blushed a deep red, before mumbling something incoherent under his breath.

"Sorry, what was that?" House asked, making a big deal of cuppinghis hand around his ear and appear straining to listen.

"Labyrinth." Chase mumbled, blushing darker still when House burst out laughing.

"As in David Bowie in a Tina Turner wig and tight pants singing Dance Magic Dance?" House asked, tears of laughter forming in his pale eyes.

"How would you know?" Chase asked suddenly and House shuddered.

"You don't want to know." House muttered, and then mumbled something about "Wilson" and "Birthday".

"Okay, my turn." Chase grinned "If you had to choose one genre of music to listen to forever, what would it be?"

"Classical." House answered immediately.

"Really?" Chase replied, surprised "I always thought you would have Jimmy Hendrix over Beethoven."

"I just find something about piano's that are so much more meaningful then guitars." House replied, truthfully. "Truth or dare"

"Dare." Chase challenged and House raised an eyebrow in glee.

"Big mistake, my dear one, big mistake" He grinned mischievously, sitting back and thinking of a suitable dare for Chase. Suddenly his eyes lit up "I know" He grinned staring at Chase "I dare you to go outside and sing any children's song of your choice loudly."

"Pass." Chase said standing

"Nope!" House said "No passing! You have to do it! Or you lose! With a capital L!"

Chase turned and glared at House. He would never live this down if he didn't.

"Fine!" He huffed, walking out into the front of House's apartment. He realised with Horror that House had chosen the perfect time. Teenagers were walking around, adults were on their way out and the street was rather crowded. Imagnaning House's gleeful grin if he lost, Chase took a deep breath and sang loudly.

"_Insy Winsy Spider,_

_Climbed up the water spout,_

_Down came the rain,_

_And washed the spider out,_

_Out came the sunshine,_

_And dried up all the rain,_

_And Insy Winsy Spider,_

_Climbed up the spout again!"_

From behind him, House burst out laughing as Chase took a bow to the stunned street and walked back inside, face bright red just as House pressed "Stop recording" on his phone.

"Oh you didn't!" Chase gasped as House limped back into the apartment.

"I did!" House grinned "And send! Now Wilson knows exactly what you've done and once Wilson knows something EVERYONE knows it! Trust me, I've learnt from experience."

"Ah, you bastard!" Chase was tempted to wrestle the phone from House, but he realised it would be pointless if the video had already been sent to Wilson. Instead he settled for stealing House's seat and saying casually "truth or dare?"

"Dare" House grinned, as though challenging Chase.

"I dare you to play me your favourite song on the piano." Chase said and House frowned.

"Is that it?" He said, "Okay then..."

House sat down at the piano and thought. Then he smiled softly, and glanced behind him at Chase who had come to stand next to him. He was in for a treat, he thought to himself, before placing his long fingers onto the ivory keys and taking a deep breath.

Slowly at first, but getting stronger and more powerful with every note, the song flowed softly and made Chase think of the rhythmic wind and of the flowing rivers, of a place where everything was the same blue as House's eyes. The song built slowly and Chase didn't – no, couldn't move, he was too scared of breaking the enchantment that House was weaving around him with his music.

When the song came to an end, Chase wasn't surprised to find tears in his eyes.

"That was..." Chase began but he found himself unable to finish the sentence.

"Beautiful" House said, finishing for him, running his hands softly over the beloved ivory keys "It's one of the few things in this world I consider beautiful, and coming from me that's not a compliment to take shortly."

Chase nodded and then House broke the silent atmosphere with an awkward cough.

"Truth or dare?" he asked.

"Truth" Chase replied, seeing House's grin at his own weariness.

"Tell me about your family." House asked, and it was a question, not an order. Chase gulped and sat down.

"Well, my father, as you know, was a famous, brilliant doctor who couldn't care less about us and so he left when I was young, leaving me to clean up after my alcoholic mother. She died because of her alcoholism before I left Australia and as you also know, my father just died of Cancer." There was a brief pause as Chase took a deep breath "I also have a sister." He ignored House's gaze upon him and continued. "Her name is Annabella Marie Chase, but she was always Bells to me. She was born after my father left us, though he knew about my mother's pregnancy, and she was born an alcoholic. It's something she never recovered from and she is now seventeen and living in a mental hospital in Australia. Leaving her was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I had too after...well, that's another story."

"Okay then..." House sighed "Erm...sorry...I shouldn't have..."

"No, it's okay." Chase smiled "Greg, really, its fine."

"Okay then" House smiled back.

"Truth or dare?" Chase asked

"Dare" House replied smiling

"I dare you to go into the kitched and empty at least three shots worth of every alcohol bottle you find in there." Chase grinned.

"Are you trying to kill me?" House gasped

"You're the one with too much alcohol in his kitchen" Chase smiled.

"Touché" House tilted an imaginary hat at Chase and made his way into the kitchen.

000

Many alcoholic beverages later, Chase and House were both giggling on the sofa. They had given up asking truth or dare now and were just telling each other to do or say things such as put an ice-cube down their pants and other such things.

"Robbie?" House asked, slurring a little "What did you mean earlier when you said something was another story?"

"Ah, it was nothing" Chase replied, being not nearly as intoxicated as House, as the doctor hadn't let him drink too much considering his morning in hospital.

"Pretty please?" House made puppy dog eyes at Chase and he grinned.

"Fine." Chase sighed "I was with this guy when I was in Australia, called Jake, and we were together for three months or so. I thought he loved me, but after I moved in with him he got really abusive and beat me up a few times. Eventually, I had enough and I decided to move out but I didn't feel safe there anymore. Then my boss offered me a promotion and here I moved."

"That makes sense." House sighed, eyes rolling backwards slightly. Chase watched House stare at the wall for a few seconds then, brimming with alcohol induced confidence, he made up his mind.

"Greg." He said, turning to his boss "Truth or Dare?" he asked, but before he had chance to answer the blond had covered House's lips with his own, only softly, but it was enough. As he pulled away, he saw House sigh.

"Sorry." Chase said, immediately thinking he had made a mistake. He stood, swaying slightly "I should go."

"No, Chase, don't go" House said, voice slightly higher than normal due to alarm at Chase's apparent departure "Please Robbie, sit back down."

Chase took one look at House's pleading eyes and sat back down next to him. House wrapped his arms around Chase, who buried his head in House's chest.

"Listen, Robbie" He began "I do like you. Hell, I more than like you. You're the only person apart from Wilson, Stacy and Cuddy who I've ever cared about, and yet you manage to blow them right out of the water. I've never met anyone like you and I care for you a lot. Today was terrifying for me. I mean, I spent at least two and a half hours covered in puke, which was really gross" Chase laughed at that "But I don't know about you. You obviously care about me and I hope to god youre not screwing me around because I don't think I can take that from you. But I don't know if you've thought this through fully. Just, do me a favour and wait a while. Just think about it. Please?"

"I promise" Chase sighed, breathing in House's scent and smiling at what House had just admitted. After a while, the older man let go of Chase.

"I'm going to bed." He sighed "Blankets are in the airing cupboard. Nighty, nighty" He laughed, waving slightly as he left Chase smiling and sighing in happiness on the sofa and walked into his own room.

000

That night, when Chase awoke to hear House having a nightmare, rather than wake him up, he took Wilson's advice. He crept into House's room and told him he was there. House seemed to relax immediately although there was still a crease between his eyebrows. Not wanting to take any chances, Chase crawled under the duvet and wrapped his arm around House's waist, being careful of his leg. House shifter backwards until his back met Chase's chest and Chase smiled before falling asleep with House in his arms.

**Here is the Extra Long paragraph! Whoopy! What did you think?**


	13. Dare

Ab Imo Perctore

From the Bottom of my Heart

**Chapter Thirteen: Dare**

Days pass. Nothing else happens between the two men. Every night they will spend the night at on or the others apartment. Neither of them bothers to sleep on the sofa anymore; they both slept in the same bed and woke up in one or the others arms the next morning. When this sit on the sofa at night to watch TV before going to bed, Chase will lean on House's chest and House will gladly putt his arm around Chase's shoulder. When they're sitting opposite each other in the diagnostics office, Chase will discreetly run his foot up House's good leg to make him jump and if they're ever lucky enough to be in the office alone together, Chase would give House a "hello" hug, a "Goodbye" hug or his own personal "In-The-Middle-Of-A-Conversation" hug. The sudden smiles from House did not go amiss by Cuddy, nor Foreman or Cameron, but House didn't care. He came to work on time every day just for those simple moments where he and Chase would look at each other and smile, or where Chase would leave the room last, just so that he could discreetly stroke House's hand as he left.

Exactly two weeks after their first kiss, House was in the clinic, finishing his last file. He dropped it off by the nurse's desk and stole a lollipop or two and then stood, looking around.

"Hey, Barbara!" He called to one of the nurses on duty who looked up shocked that House had actually remembered her name "Do you know where Chase is?"

"Err, yeah" She replied, leaning over the desk and pointing to the reception where Chase stood, on the phone.

"Thanks." He said, shocking Barbara almost to the point of fainting. He limped towards Chase but as he watched, the blonde gasped and dropped the phone. Frowning and limping as quickly as he could he made his way over to his little duckling who was as white as snow and shaking like a leaf.

"Chase?" House frowned. The blond looked up, and House cautiously put his hand on Chase's arm "What's wrong?" He asked, but before he could say anything, Chase backed away, stuttering and gasping, face white and tears forming.

"I can't...I don't...I..." He gasped before turning and running towards the staircase where House couldn't follow.

000

"Hey" House said, walking into Wilson's office where he was doing his paperwork "Have you seen Chase?"

It had been two hours and House was worried. Outside it was raining. They had taken Chase's car that morning, but it was still in the parking lot and Chase had the keys, so he hadn't gone home. He wasn't in any of the X-Ray rooms, or any of the consulting rooms and he wasn't in the clinic or his office, so where was he? He had even checked on the roof, but with the rain Chase wouldn't be stupid enough to go there, would he?

"No, I haven't seen him." Wilson replied, frowning "Why, is something wrong?"

"That's what I'd like to know" House sighed walking across the room and absentmindedly glancing out onto Wilson's balcony, adjoining with his own. His office was dark, but as he watched he thought he saw a shadow dart inside from the wet balcony and frowned.

"I'll see you later." House replied, walking out, leaving Wilson sitting there looking confused.

House walked into the diagnostics office which was dark in the dyeing light. The blinds were closed in his office, like they always were, and when he opened the door it was pitch black. He frowned and was about to turn and continue his search when he heard a low whimper. Pausing he turned to look back in the office, but there was no one there. He turned on the light, but not seeing anyone, turned it off again and walked back into the diagnostics room, leaving the door open for a little light. He paused outside the door, keeping quiet and then he heard it, soft whimpers and sobs. He limped back into the office and in the pale light coming from the balcony and the diagnosing office, he saw a slight movement underneath his desk. Sighing, he limped foreword and knelt to the floor. Chase sat underneath his desk, leaning against the wall. His knees were pulled up to his chest and he hugged himself tightly. His shirt and heir were soaked and House realised he had been standing outside on the balcony in the rain this whole time. Chase's body shook like a leaf from cold and sadness and his body was racked with silent sobs. His eyes were red and tears run down his cheeks.

House didn't say anything. He figured Chase would tell him in his own time. He put down his cane, and wincing from the pain in his leg, he crawled underneath the table and put his arm around Chase who after a moment placed his head on House's chest and just cried. House soothed him as best he could, hugging him, rubbing his back, making soothing noises. When Chase had cried himself out, he sat breathing slowly, sobs still hitting him every now and again while House calmed him.

"Now." He sighed "What's wrong?"

"It's Bells." Chase croaked, his voice horse and House remembered his sister, Annabella. "She's dead."

House didn't know what to say. After admitting it out loud, Chase began sobbing again.

"How?" He managed to ask quietly.

"She killed herself" Chase cried "She finally managed it. It's all my fault."

"Chase, no." House began, but the Australian cut across him.

"If I hadn't left her there, if I had looked after her instead of putting her into a mental home, she might be okay" Chase cried.

"Robert Chase." House said firmly, shocking Chase into looking up at him "This isn't your fault. If you hadn't put her into a home she probably would have managed this much sooner. If you hadn't left her there, you would have had a crappy life and she wouldn't have had any way to stop herself from drinking. You can blame anyone else you like. Blame your dad for leaving; blame your mum for drinking when she was pregnant, blame Jake for scaring you so much you had to leave the country, but don't blame yourself, please." House told him. Chase thought for a minute and then nodded. After a while House's leg started cramping and he asked Chase if they could get out from underneath the desk. Chase nodded but as House made to climb out, he stopped him.

"Greg" Chase said a weak smile on his pretty face "I choose Dare."

He leaned forward and pressed his lips softly against House's. The kiss was just as meaningful as their last one, but different, more passionate. As Chase backed away, House smiled looking into Chase's eyes.

"Are you sure?" He asked, smiling, but Chase could see the fear behind his sapphire eyes "I'm not the best person to be with and I've got a lot of problems. I won't want to hurt you but I probably will on accident. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"Greg" Chase smiled "I'm 100%"

These words meant more to House then anything; because at that moment he realised he was surer about Chase then he had been about everyone else. He himself had never considered anything to be 100% until now. He smiled and stroked Chase's cheek and Chase smiled again, leaning forward and pressing his lips against House's. House's fingers laced through Chase's long blonde hair, something he had wanted to do for an age it seemed and Chase moaned softly. House's stomach tightened in excitement and joy as he slipped his tongue into Chase's warm mouth. Chase moved his mouth softly against House's and leaned forward so that House was leaning back and Chase was on top of him, minding his leg. House couldn't believe this was happening. He was kissing Chase! He was kissing a guy and wow, it was good. Chase had been waiting for this for weeks and he was not disappointed. He couldn't help but wonder if he was dreaming, because this seemed too good to be true. The smell of rain filled House's mind as he breathed in Chase's candy-cane scent. He felt so safe and secure, and he wouldn't change this moment for the world.

They broke apart breathing heavily through their passion.

"Home?" House asked, a little breathlessly but with a mischievous glint in his eye. Chase nodded and together they crawled out from under the desk and walked, hand in hand, not caring about the stares of the passing nurses or Wilson who was walking out of his office when House and Chase passed. He gasped and stood still staring at their clasped hands.

"Let's give him a show." House whispered in Chase's ear and Chase grinned and nodded. As they walked passed Wilson into the elevator House grinned at him and winked. Wilson tried to say something but just as the door closed House dropped his cane and pushed Chase back against the wall, kissing his neck passionately, sending Chase into a fit of giggles at Wilson's stunned traumatised expression.

At House's driving it didn't take them long to get to Chase's apartment. As Chase reached the door to his apartment House pushed him up against the door and kissed him passionately. Chase felt both nervous and excited at the same time and struggled to open the door before something that would have them arrested for indecent exposure happened. Finally he managed to push the door open and they stumbled inside, pushing the door shut behind them.

"Bed?" Chase asked and House nodded. He dropped his cane on the floor and leaned on Chase who practically carried him to the bedroom. Chase pushed him down on the bed and from there, regardless of the days horrific beginning the night came to a beautiful end.

**This is not the end I promise you! There's still a lot more to go through! Hope you like it ******


	14. Promise

Ab Imo Pectore From the Bottom of my HeartChapter Fourteen: Promise

House was awake long before Chase. He wasn't sure he had actually been to sleep, but he knew when Chase's started dreaming because he called out Annabella's name, which broke House's heart.

"Shh" House had soothed and Chase had sighed, falling back into a dreamless sleep with House's name whispered on his lips. They now lay in the early morning with Chase's head on the older mans chest and hand across his waist while both House's strong arms were wrapped around Chase's shoulders. House was amazed that this had happened so soon, or more so that he had let it happen at all. He and Cuddy had been dating for a long time and they had never had sex, and he would pay hookers not to look at his leg but this, this was different. This was Chase. Robert Chase. And now it was His Robert Chase and he promised himself, as he sat there thinking, that he would never let anything change that.

He wondered about Chase's sister. He would have liked for Chase to see her, if only once before she died, but it was too late now.

Or maybe it wasn't.

House's eyes lit up and a grin lit up his features as he had an idea. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea, but it would give Chase some closure, and that was all that mattered.

Right on cue, Chase's green eyes opened and House sighed, wondering how he had ever disliked the colour. At the sudden rise and fall of his pillow, Chase looked up at House in slight confusion before a small, tired smile graced his features.

"Hey" He sighed, leaning up and kissing House softly, lingering slightly longer then would be casual.

"About time you woke up" House smiled "You need to go make me breakfast."

"Why me?" Chase whined playfully "You were the girl last night."

"Oi!" House grinned "Just because I'm not dominant when it comes to sex, it doesn't mean you're the boss of everything else. I'm still the boss of you."

"Are you sure?" Chase grinned kissing House slowly "I can be very…dominant" He used House's choice of words as he kissed House's neck softly.

"Well, I can't get up now, can I?" House sighed, appearing mournful.

"And why is that?" Chase asked, a sexy grin on his face.

"Because I have a big problem" House said, gesturing downward with his eyes "Big being the operative word of course."

" Well now." Chase grinned "I'm sure we can do something about that now, can't we?" House tried to suppress a moan at the words but as Chase bit the soft spot on his neck, continuing to kiss and suck at various placing, moving downwards until House couldn't keep his groans of pleasure inside him any longer.

000

Later, when the two had returned to their original positions and House was playing with Chase's hair, the blond glanced up at the clock which read seven thirty.

"Crap" He said, trying to get up, but House held him there "We're going to be late for work!"

"You're not going to work today." House insisted "and I'm always late."

"Why aren't I going to work today?" Chase asked

"Because you're too upset and I don't want you stressing yourself out" House replied, quickly adding "And hurting patents, you know, because when doctors get stressed, people die!" He faked horror.

"What make's you think I'm upset?" Chase asked, frowning. He was lying, he knew he was upset about Bell's death, but he didn't want to tell House that and worry him.

"You were dreaming about her," House said and Chase blushed, looking away. House sighed and brought his red face up to look at him.

"It's okay, you know," He told the blond who had tears in his eyes "It's okay to be upset."

Chase let a few tears fall and House soothed him, stroking his hair, before coughing.

"Robbie." He asked slowly and Chase nodded "Do you want to go to her funeral?"

"What?" Chase gasped, sighing, "No…I can't…"

"Why?" House asked, slightly angry as he realised the reason "Is it because of Jake?" Chase nodded and House sighed before continuing "Your ex can't stop you from going to your sister funeral, especially if you're this upset about it. And I'll be there with you. I can do pretty well if push comes to shove you know" Chase laughed. House let him think it over and then after a moment he smiled and looked up, kissing House again. Chase wanted to tell House he loved him, but at that moment, words lost him as he gazed into House's caring eyes.

"Go back to sleep." House sighed, getting out of bed and getting dressed in yesterday's jeans and a plain white shirt of Chase's. "When you wake up, phone Annabella's hospital and let me know when the funeral is so I can book our time off."

Chase sighed and nodded, already half asleep. House looked at him, a small smile on his lips as he kissed Chase's forehead and smiled.

"See you later" He grinned as he walked out, pleased to be able to say that to someone.

000

House walked into the hospital that morning, singing loudly and happily. After three hours clinic duty, he walked into Cuddy's office, put the files on her desk and carried on singing, twirling as he left the room. He was actually quite a good singer when he was in a good mood. He was singing a song called "Mystery" which was a rather funny and yet sweet song which confused the nurses, Cuddy, Cameron and Foreman to no end. Wilson had yet to be visited by House as he was holed up in his office with dyeing people.

When Chase phoned at half past one to say the funeral was to be next week, House actually blew him a kiss down the phone, making Chase laugh before he walked into Cuddy's office again.

"Good afternoon, my dear boss woman thing" House announced his presence, making Cuddy jump.

"Okay…" Cuddy looked slightly worried at House's behaviour "How many Vicodin have you taken today?"

"About four?" House replied and Cuddy frowned. That was way below his usual intake.

"Anyway…" He smiled "I want to book some time off for me and Dr. Chase."

"Well…" Cuddy still looked confused "You can, but Chase can't. He's used all his up."

"Is there any way we can come to some kind of arrangement like…."House wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Cuddy scowled and opened her mouth but then House cut across her.

"If Chase can have the week off, I'll give up all the rest of my vacation time and I'll do three extra clinic hours a week for a month."

"What?" Cuddy gasped after a while "I mean…what? Why?"

"You know, you look like a goldfish when you do that" House replied "r maybe a puffer fish." He blew his cheeks out as a demonstration.

"Why?" Cuddy asked, ignoring him.

"Chase has a funeral to attend in Australia so that's why it's a week off, and he asked me to go with him." House said "I could do with a holiday so I said yeah."

"right…" Cuddy said "Okay…fine. When?"

"I'll let you know." House said "I've got to book flights first. I'll get it to you by the end of the day."

Cuddy watched in amazement as House practically skipped out of the room.

000

True to his word, House booked the flights for the day after tomorrow and asked Cuddy for the week's vacation to start then. She agreed, still looking immensely confused and House chuckled as he left the office, thinking of how many pranks he could play on her now he had a sidekick.

As usual, it didn't take long for House to drive home. He smiled as he opened the door to find the Australian sitting standing by the kitchen counter.

"Hey." Chase greeted, or at least tried to but found himself suddenly pulled into a long, slow, passionate kiss.

"Well…" Chase said, a little breathlessly as House remained where he was, arms around Chase's waist. "What was that for?"

"Well, it's not everyday you come home to see your hot sexy male lover standing there now, is it?" House replied, kissing Chase again, laughing against his lovers lips.

**Hope you liked :D**

**And thanks to Zaffiro, my dear Italian reviewer for her long reviews and to Serenity 1806 for the fantastic trailer (once again) and for the short, simple, three word review on the last chapter that had me in fits of laughter :D**


	15. Show

Ab Imo Pectore

From the Bottom of my Heart

**Chapter Fifteen:**** Show**

"Why are you here?" was the first thing Chase heard when he walked into work the next morning; the last morning before he and House went to Australia for a week. These four words replaced the greeting from House's lone female duckling.

"Fine, It's good to be back, Cameron" Chase replied sarcastically.

"Sorry!" She backed away, raising her hands in mock surrender "It's just, you're going away tomorrow and I thought you'd be packing or something."

"All done." Chase answered, sitting down and opening his newspaper "I did it yesterday."

"And he did mine too, might I add, like a good little lap dog." House continued, limping in, having driven in with Chase and pausing in the cafeteria for coffee so as not to make the other two suspiciouse and because they were both late and if Cameron had made the coffee, it would be flavoured water and Foreman would probably make poisoned mud. He hadn't asked Chase if he wanted everyone to know about them yet, so he would have to ask him when the other two left.

"What?" Cameron asked as Foreman left to do his clinic hours "You're going too?"

"Yes." House replied, sitting down and resting his bad leg across Chase's lap. "We are going. Together. To Australia. Together. Us two. Together." House said, hinting at Cameron with his eyes, but Cameron failed to get the huge hint.

"Okay then." She smiled "Have fun" She left to go to the clinic while House stared after her, his eyes unbelieving.

"She should dye her hair blond to match her brain" He told Chase who laughed and began to massage House's thigh. House's shoulders visible relaxed and hi dropped his cane to the floor as he sighed in contentment. He wondered why Chase hadn't become a masseuse.

"Do you want Cameron, Cuddy and Foreman to know about us?" House asked, before he forgot. Chase looked up momentarily, surprise that House had actually asked showing in his eyes, but he smiled.

"No, I don't mind." He said, "They had may as well find out sooner rather then later, I suppose."

"Do you want to have some fun out of it?" House asked, eyes glittering mischievously.

"It depends." Chase smiled "It has to happen today and it has to be short and simple, nothing that drags everything out, okay?"

"But mommy!" House complained "That's not nearly as much fun!"

"Greg" Chase said, making House look at him before pouting and doing puppy dog eyes "Pwetty pwease?"

"Fine!" House said after staring a moment at the Australians cute pout.

"Good." Chase smiled "I'm going to go do my clinic hours, okay?"

"Fine!" House said, waving in a majestic way from his casual pose "I dismiss you from my sight!"

"Oh you do, do you?" Chase laughed, kissing House softly before leaving.

000

When Chase walked into House's office an hour later, having been paged, he was immediately pushed down into House's chair and a pair of familiar warm lips attacked his. Chase reacted in the same way, passionately exploring House's mouth with his tongue. House moved down to Chase's neck and the blond couldn't help the moan of pleasure then fought through his pretty pink lips as House bit the bottom of his ear. In fact, he was so distracted he failed to notice House pressing previously memorised buttons on his pager before throwing said pager behind the desk where it couldn't be seen, distracting Chase from the sound by bringing his lips up to mean the Australian's.

A loud bang stopped the make out scene less then five minutes later and the two men looked up from their position (House sat on Chase's lap with Chase's arms around his waist, stroking his back hungrily) to see Cuddy, Foreman, Wilson and an unconscious Cameron on the floor.

"Well…" House said, looking down at the sleeping girl on the floor "That explains the loud bang"

"And this explains the holiday." Cuddy sighed, glaring at House "is there actually a funeral?" She asked, suspiciously.

"Yes. And yes, Chase did ask me to go with him and we are going to Australia." House said as a beetroot red Chase tried to hide from Foreman's amazed look behind House's shoulder. "You just never asked why Chase wanted me to go with him." He grinned suggestively.

"When did this happen?" Foreman asked as Wilson bent down to check on the slowly stirring Cameron.

"A couple of days ago." Chase replied

"Excuse me?" House said, glaring at Chase "I think you'll find our first kiss was two weeks and thee days ago. And yes, I have been counting" He glared before anyone said anything.

"Were you drunk?" Foreman asked, raising an eyebrow.

"When we decided we liked each other, maybe a little. When we kissed, yes, very." House replied, flinching when Chase protested by poking him in the ribs "Sorry, I was drunk. Chase, not so much. Hey!" He said, glaring at Chase "That means you took advantage of me! Oh my poor innocence! I feel so used…" Chase, Wilson and Foreman both snorted "But anyway…" He returned his attentions to the group in the doorway "When we got together, properly, no, neither of us were drunk, strangely enough."

"Whatever." Cuddy sighed, helping a dazed Cameron to her feet "Just keep it out of the office and in the bedroom, got it?"

"Yes Miss Cuddy." House said meekly. Foreman sighed and walked away, helping Cuddy with Cameron and Wilson walked in and sat in front of House's desk, where House was still sitting on his young lovers lap.

"You know…" House said to Chase, ignoring Wilson completely "The definition of a bedroom is a room with a bed in it. This is a hospital and it has plenty of beds in it…" House left the rest up to Chase's blushing imagination.

"Excuse me!" Wilson said, coughing and blushing slightly "I'm happy for you two, really I am, and it's about time!" Chase laughed and even House smiled a little "I'm just wondering why you paged us?"

"You paged them?" Chase asked in amazement.

"No, I lost my pager." House insisted, just as Wilson pulled his own pager out of his pocket and a sudden loud beeping noise came from behind House's desk.

"Damn you, you evil wench" House glared at Wilson, standing and gesturing the underneath of the desk to Chase "Now go fetch." Chase complied and House sat down, taking no shame of staring at Chase's butt with Wilson watching him in amused disapproval at the older mans antics.

"So why did you page me?" Wilson asked, frowning "I mean, I understand why you paged the others, to let them know and to play one of your useless pranks…"

"Wasn't useless." House insisted "It saved a lot of time. It could have been a lot more complicated then that but Robbie stopped me."

"Robbie?" Wilson mocked in amusement and House glared.

"Well I couldn't have called him Chase all his life now could I?" He told Wilson.

"You do to me!" Wilson complained "You only call me James or even Jimmy when you want to annoy me or make fun of me!"

"But I haven't slept with you, now have I?" House laughed, making Chase cough into his coffee "Yet." He winked, "Sorry!" He said loudly to Chase who poked him hard in the ribs "Will never happen again, I promise" He said, winking to Wilson again when Chase turned his back all the same.

"But why did you page me?" Wilson asked, still confused "I mean, after your show in the elevator the other day it was kind of obvious that I knew."

"I know." House said "I just wanted to see that look on your face again."

"House, you're hopeless." He sighed, standing up "Good luck Chase." He smiled at the couple "You're so going to need it!"

What Wilson didn't know that in a few days the couple would need as much luck as they could get.


	16. Funeral

Ab Imo Pectore

From the Bottom of my Heart

**Chapter Sixteen: Funeral**

The two men were on the plane by 8AM the next morning. Apart from a small argument over who was to get the window seat ("I'm a cripple!" House cried. "Exactly," Chase had replied "Therefore you should go in the isle. Easier access and all." He smirked, sitting in the window seat. House quickly looked around to make sure he had an audience before falling to the floor with a loud noise, causing Chase to jump up in alarm. "You sadistic bastard!" House had yelled at Chase "Fancy tripping up an old cripple just to get to the window seat." Blushing profusely under the glares of all passengers on board, he gave up the window seat, sighing as he glared at House, muttering something about unfairness under his breath) they had spent most of the flight discussing the expression on their colleagues faces when they had discovered them the previous day.

House didn't fail to notice that the closer the plane got to landing, the less Chase spoke until finally he was silent. House didn't push it; he simply took Chase's hand and smiled at him, letting the blonde know he was there.

000

Once in the hotel, the two men only had chance to clean up quickly and change before going to the funeral. House had arranged it as so, so that Chase wouldn't ponder over it too much beforehand. Of course the long flight had not helped on that front but what was he to do?

The funeral was in a small, secluded church. Chase made a small speech, which was all he could do before he broke down and House was forced to leave his seat to go collect the younger man. It amazed the doctor how broken Chase was because of this and he hoped taking him to the funeral was a good idea. It seemed to be. The sunny Australian weather seemed to dry away Chase's guilt and sadness along with his tears.

"You know, my parents were married there." Chase sighed as they got in the taxi and drove away. House looked at Chase and didn't say anything; he just asked the driver to drop them off at the nearest bar.

The bar was called the Victoria and Chase sighed as he walked in.

"This used to be my local." He said "Though the name has changed which means the landlord probably sold it. I doubt there's anyone I know here, I mean, It's been four years."

They drank beer, just enough to have a good time, but not enough to get completely drunk. House, in his usual drunkenly affectionate way kissed Chase on the cheek as he walked house and Chase smiled, grinning slightly.

"Rob!" A voice called. House turned, wondering who was calling his Robbie Rob, but Chase froze and began shaking like a leaf.

A large man, 6 foot high and weighing 2 tons stood before them. He had long hair, biceps that screamed steroids and a small skull tattoo on the back of his neck.

"Jake." Chase greeted turning around and House paled slightly. This could not be happening.

"Hey there Rob," The man said, his voice overly loud int he quiet street "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Chase replied, looking down "You?"

"I'm good." The man answered "I heard you moved to the big U.S?"

"Yeah." Chase replied "I'm here for a short holiday."

House was not surprised to hear the lie. However he was surprised when the huge gorilla man reached his hammy fist out towards House, who didn't take it.

"Nice to meet you." The man said "I'm Jake, and old friend of Rob's, and you are?"

"Doctor House." Came the calm reply "I'm Rob_bie'_s boyfriend."

"Oh." Jake replied, pulling his hand away and glaring slightly through his pig – like eyes. "I see."

"Anyway.." Chase said "Got to be going, we have lots to do tomorrow."

"I'm sure you have." Jake said, leering over Chase like a fat child in a cake shop.

"Goodbye now." House said, turning, taking Chase's hand and practically pulling him down the street.

"Nice seeing you again, Rob." Jake laughed "I'll see you soon, I hope."

**MWAHAHAHAHAHA! EVIL LAUGH! Sorry for the shortness, I'm planning on dragging out the next few chapters. :D though that might not work at the speed Ive been writing recently :D**


	17. Beating

Ab Imo Pectore

From the Bottom of my Heart

**Chapter Seventeen: Beaten**

Nothing was said about Jake that evening between the two men. Nothing needed to be said. They just went back to the hotel and thoroughly tired, slept through until mid afternoon.

That morning, Chase woke up to the old smell of Australia's air and smiled. He loved Australia, but he couldn't live there. Not just because of Jake or because of his parents and Bell's, but there was something about the whole country that had never felt right to Chase. And now he knew why, he thought as he smiled down at a still sleeping House. Carefully not to wake House, he got up and showered. Then leaving a letter on the bedside table, carefully explaining to House that he was going to fetch Bell's things from the mental home and that he would pick up some brochures on the way back so that they could do something apart from drink the week they were there, he picked up his key and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

He left the hotel in bright spirits, which he considered surprising after his encounter with Jake the previous night. He decided he didn't care. He only had to avoid him for a week and then he was gone. Out of the country, out of the sadness that this place threw down upon him and out of Jake's control.

Annabella didn't own that much stuff, really, considering she had lived there from a very young age. Chase threw out all of her shoes and clothes when he happened to look inside a pair of her trainers and found a bloody razorblade. He sighed and remembered House's voice telling him it wasn't his fault before continuing. He took the only photograph in the room: a small, silver framed photo of Chase and Annabella before she got taken into hospital, when Annabella was happy (probably from the daily alcohol intake) and Chase was innocent. Chase wished he could have seen more of her, gotten to know her better but he had been told by the mental health clinic that to completely recover, it was better she had no past influence, and that included Chase. He wished House could have met her; he had the feeling they would get along brilliantly.

As he left the home, he picked up a few brochures and put them in his pocket along with the framed photograph. It was starting to get dark; it had taken longer than he had anticipated sorting out Bell's things and he was disappointed that he hadn't seen more of House, but he smiled in eagerness of seeing his lover again. When House had told Jake he was his boyfriend he had physically shivered: not from fear, though that did add slightly, but from pleasure at being called House's boyfriend. I'm Gregory House's boyfriend, Chase grinned as he thought that sentence, but the grin was soon cut off as something hard hit him across the head, close to his ear.

Chase gasped and fell to the floor. As he tried to get back up, he was pulled to his feet by strong, absurdly muscular arms and punched repeatedly in the stomach until he coughed up blood. Through fazed vision he saw dark long hair and he realised who it was.

"Jake..." he gasped, blood splattering through his lips. He cried out in pain as he was dragged by his hair into an alley where Jake pulled him closer and shouted in his ear.

"So!" He yelled "You've bagged a doctor, eh? After tonight, that's probably going to be a lucky thing!"

After many more blows to the stomach, Chase felt his head be dragged up again and he gasped.

"I'm not going to fuck you." Jake told him, his voice deathly quiet "No, Not tonight. But if you don't come back to me by the end of the week, _Robbie..._" Chase flinched. That was House's name for him, not Jakes. "...Then I'll come and find you. I don't care if I have to move to America, I'll do it. I've been planning for a holiday anyway," The man grinned, his dirty yellow teeth shinning through the darkness at Chase, his beer smelling breath making Chase gag. "The first thing I want you to do is break up with the fucker. And then you come to me. By next week." Jake dropped Chase to the floor "I'm not going to fuck you." He repeated, grinning "However, seeing you all bloody and sweaty has given me a little bit of a problem you see." He grinned, unzipping his pants "I'm sure you can help me with that now, can you honey?"

000

When Jake had finally emptied every single drop of himself into Chase's gagging mouth, Chase threw up. As punishment for that, He was thrown to the floor and kicked in every accessible area, except for the face. Then, as Chase faded into unconsciousness he heard Jake's laughter filled warning as he left the alleyway.

"Until next time, Honey"


	18. Hullucinate

Ab Imo Pectore

From The Bottom Of My Heart

**Chapter Eighteen: Hallucinate**

Chase made his way back to the hotel. It was quite late and darkening outside. His thoughts were hollow and he knew what he had to do. He couldn't let House get hurt because of him. Before entering their shared hotel room, Chase surveyed the damage done to him. There was blood on his shirt from where the glass in the picture frame that was in is pocket had smashed and cut into his stomach. He was breathing heavily and limping slightly. Chase sighed, whipping away a few tears, before pulling his jacket around himself to hide the blood and controlling his breathing and walking, ignoring his swollen ankle and broken ribs protests. He knew if he didn't House would notice.

As Chase walked into the room, House was sitting on the bed with his mobile, gazing at it anxiously. Chase wondered where his own phone was. Probably smashed up on the street somewhere.

"There you are" House smiled at him "I thought Wombats were supposed to sleep all night and spend all day with their hot, gorgeous boyfriends."

"House." Chase said, and House froze at the use of his last name "We need to talk." Deciding to just get it over with, he ignored the tears trying to escape. "It's over. Go back to America. I'm staying here." He chocked back a sob as he said the killing words "With Jake."

"What?" House just asked.

"Oh just get over yourself." Chase said, realising it would take a lot more to get House to leave "You're pathetic. With all your childish issues and your dumb addiction. I just used you, like the ass kisser Foreman always knew I was. You should listen to him more. Now I've got Jake and I don't need you any more."

"But he abused you?" House said, not shouting, tears in his eyes. It was a question, showing his weakness. It broke Chase's heart and he was screaming at himself to stop, that he needed House, that he loved him, but he couldn't. He couldn't live with himself if Jake hurt House.

"Don't you get it?" He bit back tears "That was just a story to get you to feel sorry for me, and it worked. But now Jake's back and I don't want you any more."

"You don't want me?" House asked, standing. He felt his heart would shatter and at the next word it did.

"No." Chase replied, "I don't."

Two hearts broke; two eyes overflowed behind the others back; two men turned away; two broken half's of one soul split and House turned and limped out.

000

**A/N did any one cry reading that because I sure as hell cried writing it! :'(**

000

House left the room and walked around blindly for what seemed like an age. He returned to the bar he had been at the night before and drank himself stupid. Then he went outside to the alley behind and took out the bottles of Vicodin in his pocket. He had kept the weeks supply, so about two full bottles, plus the spare bottle Chase had given him which he hadn't been able to bring himself to use and yet was never from his person and poured the tiny white pills into his hand. He sat and used whiskey to drink them all down and it wasn't long before he became dizzy. He slowly lay down on the dirty floor and gazed dizzyingly at the dark, wet, grimy alleyway walls. He didn't think he would die here. He had hoped he wouldn't be alone when he went, but he was alone.

Tears sprung from his blue eye as he realised he was alone in more then one way. He wished he could talk to someone. Specifically one person, but he would never see Chase again. Chase would live his life, in the arms of his lover, and House would die in a foreign alleyway. He realised he hadn't said anything to Wilson.

He reached for his phone and managed to type the word "Sorry" in. He clicked send but the last thing he saw before he passed out was "Limited signal. This message may take a while to send".

000

House opened his eyes and blinked in the brilliant white light that surrounded him. He saw Chase there in the bar. He saw them sitting there, laughing together. He saw them on his sofa I his apartment at home, their first kiss. He saw himself sitting on Chase's lap in his office with an unconscious Cameron on the floor, Foreman rolling his eyes, Cuddy glaring, hands on her hips, eyes twinkling and Wilson smiling at his friend's antics. Wilson was House's best friend. They were all an important part of him and he was sorry he didn't get to see them one last time.

He watched the scene where he last saw Chase again, though he was trying to pull away from it. But this time, he saw it differently. He saw the tears in his own eyes and he saw the ones in Chase's. He saw how awkwardly Chase held himself. He saw how he favoured one leg more then the other and how Chase's hand never left his stomach. He saw how Chase shuddered with lack of control every time he shouted at him and how he gasped and squeezed his eyes shut in self-loathing. And as he left the room and Chase brought his hand to his eyes and brushed a lock of that stunning blond hair House loved so much out of his eyes, he saw the cut above Chase's ear. And suddenly he understood. Chase had been attacked and told to leave him. He did it to save House.

000

House opened his eyes to see he had returned back to the grimy alleyway. He knew what had just happened was a hallucination, but it was also a memory. He realised how wrong he had been, how stupid he had been. He had to save himself, he had to live and he had to save Chase.

Gasping in dizziness, House stood and limped into the hospital. His leg defiantly wasn't hurting with the amount of Vicodin in his system. He stumbled into the bar and handed his mobile to the bar tender.

"Phone an ambulance" He gasped "And then phone Robert Chase. Tell him what's happened. Tell him to come here as soon as he can. Tell him I need him." House gasped, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell along with a number of dirty glasses to the floor.

***BURSTS INTO TEARS***


	19. Sorry & Thank You

Ab Imo Pectore

From the Bottom of my Heart

**Chapter Nineteen: Sorry**

"Oh thank god you're awake." Were the first word's House heard when he regained consciousness. He hadn't even realised his eyes were open until those words and he turned to look at the voice that had uttered them. His eyes widened in wonder and his hand reached up to stroke the other mans cheek.

"You came." Was all he said, his throat sore from throwing up.

"Of course I did" Chase cried. Tears were running freely down his cheeks and his eyes were blood red. There were bags under his eyes and his hair was matted and greasy. He was unshaven and House could see through his white shirt that there was a bandage on his stomach and from the way he was leaning to the left that his right ankle was bandaged also, and yet, he had never looked so beautiful. House never considered things to be beautiful, but this scene fitted no other description.

"Why did you do it?" Chase asked his voice breaking as he ran his hand gently through House's hair. "You silly man, why?"

"I did it because I couldn't have you." House answered truthfully and then continued "But I saved myself so that I could. Robbie, tell me the truth. You didn't mean what you said, did you?"

Chase could see the real fear behind House's cobalt eyes and he realised that the fear of losing House, and that fear behind House's eyes meant far more to him than any fear that any bully like Jake could drive into him.

"No." He gasped. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." He rested his head on House's chest and cried as House stroked his hair.

"Did Jake find you?" House asked. "Did he...did he hurt you Robbie?"

Chase couldn't reply through the tears, he just nodded.

"Robbie." House said, making Chase look up at him "Did he rape you?"

"No." Chase replied, seeing House's jaw visibly unclench. "How did you know he hurt me?"

"I dreamt it." House told him "I dreamt about us, about all our happiest moments together, and how much they meant to me. They are what brought me back. You are what brought me back. And in my dream I saw the cuts, the limp, the wheezing, and the tears. I'm so sorry Robbie." House said, trying his best not to cry "I should have noticed."

"It's not your fault..." Chase tried to soothe but House wouldn't listen

"It's my job to notice these things." House continued, his guilt eating away at him "Everybody lies, is what I said. I should have known you were lying, I should have known something bad had happened, I should have seen what was wrong, I should have-"

"Gregory House." Chase said firmly, shocking the doctor into silence "This isn't your fault" He quoted House's own words to him when he had blamed himself for Annabella's death "If you hadn't ever not spotted something unimportant, you wouldn't have been human, which you are, in case you haven't noticed. If you hadn't ever doubted yourself and confused the hell out of everyone by going back on your own words, you wouldn't be Greg House. And If you hadn't taken that overdose, you would have lived the rest of your life believing you were useless and a horrible person when in truth you are very much the opposite and I would have spent the remainder of my life being beaten to a pulp every night, but knowing that no beating would ever hurt as much as remembering what I had said to you and longing for you and having to live without you for the rest of my life. So blame anyone you like. Blame your Dad for abusing you and forcing you to have nightmares for the rest of your life, creating trust insecurities. Blame your mother for never helping you when he was doing what he did. Blame me for being an idiot and choosing to save you by almost killing you and myself rather than just trusting you to know what was right and leaving this country and the people in it behind forever. But don't you dare blame yourself. Please." House nodded, a few tears silently overflowing and Chase lovingly wiped them away with his thumb.

"I thought it was better when I said it" House smiled softly and Chase laughed through his tears.

"Chase?" House asked, smiling when Chase looked up "Robbie. Truth or dare?"

"Dare." Chase smiled, leaning over and kissing House softly. House kissed him back and smiled against his lips.

"I love you, Greg House." Chase smiled at him as he moved away. "100%"

"I love you too Robbie Chase" House replied, grinning as he finally managed to say the words "From the bottom of my large muscular organ situated in the left hand side of my chest." He added, grinning, Sapphire blue eyes twinkling with the love that he never thought he could or would give, a love he was even more surprised to receive.

A love, he was 100% sure, would never fade.

***cries***

**Sorry if anyone is a little ooc. I truly didn't plan to end it here, I expected it to go on much longer, but it just did.**

**I might write a sequel, but I have a Twilight fan fiction challenge to finish before the possible sequel to this. I will post a link up if I get round to doing it. Do you want a sequel? Then please review yes or no, what you thought ex, and any suggestions would be appreciated :D**

**Nineteen Chapters!**

**WHOOP!!!**

**Thanks to all me dear reviewers ******** Every review count and means so much**

_Lune_

_Pinku Aisu Kuriimu X2_

_KK Duke_

_Ferret Assassin Nin X3_

_Dr. Nin_

_Serenity 1806 X16 __**(Thank you for the vid **__****__**)**_

_Inissor X6_

_Expat19 X3_

_FAN_

_Glaring Candlelight _

_ZaffiroX9 (__**My dear Italian reviewer :D I thank you for your comments on 'spagetti alla bolognaise' and I wonder, if you don't eat past with bolognaise sauce, what do you eat with it?)**_

_Killer0shorti X5_

_AkosihaX2_

**Thank you to all of you, too those of who read and didn't review, to those I may have missed or forgotten to add and to those will read and will/won't review on this story after this chapter has been put up. I thank you all and I would love to know what you think in extra long reviews.**

**The winner of my earlier mentioned competition was **_Serenity 1806___**with 16 reviews (thank you :D) along with**___Zaffiro_** with 9 reviews and **_Inissor _**with 6 reviews. I thank you three and congratulate you but I will not be giving you the prize I promise because I felt mean and I decided to put it up as a deleted (or future chapter of the sequel) and I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Thank you and goodnight from CaffinH**


	20. SNEEK PEEK the beginning of the end

Ab Imo Pectore—From the Bottom of my Heart

Extended chapter—sneek peek at possible sequel

**The Beginning of the End**

"I love the snow." Chase sighed as two strong arms reached around his waist, pulling his own body back against their owner.

"Really?" House complained "It's irritating. It's wet, cold, and messy and get's everywhere."

"I can think of something else that does that." Chase smirked "Something that also happens to be white."

"You little demon" House grinned, smacking Chase's ass playfully as Chase took his hand and they walked through the doors of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital together.

A few people stared; the infamous Doctor House dating his newly quit and reinstated in a separate job (to make it easier on Cuddy) as a surgeon, which Chase preferred to diagnostics, little duckling was hardly old news yet, though House didn't care. The gossip would melt away with the snow and something more interesting would come along. That's how life went on. This changed. People changed.

But not him, he decided, getting into the elevator with Chase who was blushing sweetly under the stares of the entire hospital population. Not him and not Chase. They would never change. And if they did, they would change around each other, so as to fit each other better rather than just grow apart.

House smiled as the large ding of the elevator reaching his floor awoke him from his thoughts and he kissed Chase goodbye.

"Good luck, honey!" He said cheerily as he walked away

"Have fun Darling!" Chase returned as House stepped out of the elevator "And do try and stay out of trouble!"

"Yes sweetie-pie!" House replied in a girlish voice, sending Chase into fits of giggle as the elevator closed. He went straight into Wilson's office to say hello and to steal his coffee.

It was lunch time when Chase got the text. After a busy morning, Chase went into the locker room for his money to buy his and House's lunch to find his phone vibrating in his bag. As he picked it up, frowning and read the text, his face turned whiter then bone and he froze. The phone clattered to the floor where only the mice in the shower drains could read the incriminating words printed on the vaguely glowing screen.

"_See you soon Rob."_


End file.
